THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS

The Bible tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. “On these two commandments” Jesus says, “depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22.36-40 ESV).

Everything in life hinges on our relationship with the Lord and one another. For if we are loving God with all our being, we are truly worshipping Him in all phases of our lives. When we are loving God, we are loving our neighbors because all our motives would be flowing from God’s love towards one another. We would essentially be taking on the mind of Christ which does “noting from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2.3 ESV).

Somehow the love for God and the love for others gets flipped. The love of self gets in the way of God and others. Engrossed by serving we become distracted about what is truly important. We miss the one thing that is truly necessary.

(You can read below what I talk about in the video or watch it on YouTube.)

WE ARE A DISTRACTED CULTURE

According to the Microsoft Corporation, a typical goldfish has a longer attention span than most adults. The report goes on to say that from 2000 to 2015 the average human attention span decreased 25%. Needless to say, we live in a culture today that is increasingly becoming more distracted.

Distractions can be a habit that may be harmful in many ways. This effects our ability to sustain the focus required for creativity, in our responsibilities, for occasions, and for people. By constantly being distracted, we miss out on cultivating relationships, personal development, well-being, and spiritual growth.

A person who lives in the habit of being distracted is often described as impulsive. According to (Everyday Health) they may:

• Lack of self-control
• Lack of patience or waiting in turn
• Frequently interrupts others
• Overreacting to frustrations, disappointments, and criticism
• Often daydream
• Easily bored
• Not following through on a task
• Struggles with memory and focus

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO CHRISTIANS SERVING AND WORSHIPPING IN CHURCHES?

This impulsive behavior can have a negative and lasting effect on our worship and service in the church. Some people in the church have a works rather than a grace mentality. Somehow, we have bought into a performance based ministry rather than an effectual mindset. In our minds we measure ourselves and others by what we do. We busy ourselves by what we believe to be the most important thing, rather than what is important to God. Performing or serving in a church ministry does not make you any better of a Christian. It might even distract you from the one thing that is necessary in our relationship with Christ.

PUTTING DISTRACTIONS TO THE TEST
Let’s take the bullet points above and filter them through how they may have a negative effect on your relationship with Christ and others in the church.

• Lack of self-control: This person has a hard time saying no. They are at every church meeting. They serve on multiple ministry teams or committees. Their volunteer time might challenge some full-time employees.

• Lack of patience or waiting their turn: This person gets frustrated waiting on others in the church.

• Frequently interrupts others: This person interrupts conversations or meetings because they feel what they have to say is more important.

• Overreacting to frustration, disappointment, and criticism: This person lashes out to one of the members of the church because of something they did or did not do.

• They often daydream and are easily bored: This person’s attention span is easily distracted. They daydream about what needs to be done instead of being in the moment. They tuned out conversations and important discussions in meetings and during the Sunday sermon.

• Struggle with memory and focus, not follow through on task: This person has so much on their mind, and because of the multiple ministry tasks, it is hard for them to focus on just one and finish others. They forget to call on a person, to turn in reports, focus on instructions because their mind is crowded.

The examples above can fit any circumstance such as home life, workplace, and yes, the church. You may know someone like this. I may even be describing you. But instead of pointing fingers and calling out individuals here, let’s turn to the Bible for an example.

IT’S ALL ABOUT MARTHA

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village, And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary,” – Luke 10.38-39a ESV

I’m going to chat about Martha. Because I believe there is a little bit of Martha in all of us. Because it’s all about Martha, isn’t it? 

Martha, her sister Mary, and her brother Lazarus were a Jewish family who were friends and followers of Jesus. Their devotion to Jesus is unquestionable. Even by Martha’s own confession, we know that she believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (John 11.27). They lived in a small village called Bethany which was a little over a mile east of Jerusalem. Jesus often would rest there when He visited Jerusalem. 

Martha was probably in charge of the household affairs and on this occasion invited Jesus into their house. As you can imagine, this must have put a lot of pressure on Martha. We get a sense that Martha was more likely a type-A person and had high expectations not only of herself but also of hosting Jesus as her guest. This is not a bad quality in a person, but it can be a distraction by majoring on minor things. In this case, the details.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

As a host or hostess, you want everything to be perfect for your guests. In your quest to serve you focus on all the details. Everything has to be just right. This expectation is not usually placed on by the guest but is self-imposed. Because you believe it’s a reflection of you and your abilities. Most who feel this way are trying to please themselves rather than others. Therefore, details are important.

You have heard the idiomatic phrase: “The devil is in the details.” According to dictionary.com, this phrase means “even the grandest project depends on the success of the smallest components.” Thus, if you don’t pay enough attention, it could possibly ruin your efforts. Being, the devil in the details may ruin your feasibility.

OVERREACTION AND CRITICISM

A person like Martha tends to put more pressure on themselves. They become frustrated when others are not taking the task as seriously as you do. Distracted people believe that what they are doing is more important than the needs of others. This could describe a narcissistic person. A narcissistic person is one who is self-centered. They have an excessive preoccupation with themselves and their own needs, often at the expense of others. This is a hard observation, but I believe it describes Martha’s character flaw. In her effort to serve others and to be a good host, Martha perverts her gifted ability to be a hostess by allowing herself to be distracted from what is really important in life.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF BEING DISTRACTED

“And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” – Luke 10.39-40

Martha’s reputation and relationships with others are about to be hindered by her own reaction. The Bible passage above describes Martha as being “distracted with much serving.” The word “distracted” here is made up of two words in the Greek language.

• peri means “all over” or “around.”
• spao means “draw out” or “to draw.” 

Putting them both together we get, “perispao,” which means to distract or to be driven about mentally or overly preoccupied about a thing.

Martha was certainly preoccupied not only with wanting things to be just right but also with herself. Even to the point of interrupting Jesus’ teaching, accusing him of not caring, and demanding him to tell Mary to help her.

AWKWARD SITUATION

We are not told how many guests were present, but if you count the disciples, family members, and other followers in the village, there could have been at least 20 or more people attending this gathering. You can imagine how awkward this would have been for the guests to witness this interaction between Martha and Jesus.

The outburst of frustration by a distracted servant led to being reprimanded by the very person whom she wanted to serve and please. Jesus responds to Martha’s frustration by answering her, 

“Martha, Martha…” I stop to emphasize that it’s one thing to have your named called out once, but twice indicates that the Lord wants us to pay special attention to what He has to say.

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,” – Luke 10.41

The Lord described Martha as being anxious and troubled. Jesus is telling Martha that she is so concerned for her own personal interest that she has become greatly disturbed and is missing out on what is really important.

ONLY ONE THING IS NECESSARY, IT IS A CHOICE

Martha was about to learn a valuable lesson. Martha chose to put this pressure on herself, but Mary chose something better.

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10.41-42

Ok, is it me, or do Jesus’ words hit close to home? Jesus’ words go to the root of Martha’s problem. Jesus is telling Martha that there are a few things that are necessary, most of which can wait. Out of all those things, your sister Mary has chosen the most important one and it will not be taken from her. We have a choice to make. We can live in the constant flux of frustration and anxiety or choose to be at peace in the presence of the Lord.

WHEN SERVING DISTRACTS US FROM THE GOOD PORTION

Jesus tells Martha that, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10.42 ESV

I don’t know if the Lord was intentionally pointing to Psalm 16.5 or not, but it states:

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.”

What does this mean? It means that the Lord is my inheritance and my cup. The verse was written by King David. David is saying to the Lord that He is the portion of his inheritance. David is seeing beyond an earthly inheritance to the eternal inheritance he has with God.

In Ephesians we read this:

“In him (Christ) we have obtained an inheritance” which by the Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance in Christ “until we acquire possession of it” (Ephesians 1.11, 14 ESV).

What is this portion or inheritance? Eternal life.

Do not allow the troubles of your world to distract you from that which is the most important gift in life. Eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

I say your world because our troubles mostly come from within rather than outside our lives. You can alleviate those troubles by laying them down before the Savior’s feet. There you will find peace and your portion that will never be taken away.

HOW DOES ONE CHOOSE THE GOOD PORTION OVER DISTRACTIONS?

Before I close, I want to offer a few ideas on how you can be more like Mary rather than Martha.

1. Take time to pray: It is no coincidence that the passage following Martha and Mary is on prayer (Luke 11.1-4). During your time of prayer ask the Lord to guard your heart from spiritual distractions.
2. Be in the Word of God: Psalm 1 tells us that the blessed person is one who takes delight in meditating on God’s Word day and night. Because of this, they flourish and thrive like a tree planted by waters.
3. Check yourself: Ask yourself tough questions.
   • Am I too busy for you God?
   • Am I too busy for others including my family and others.
4. Reevaluate ministry goals:
   • Am I doing too much?
   • What ministry can I hand off to someone us?
5. Learn to Delegate through Discipleship:
   • Christians are called to make disciples. Disciple others to do what you do. Work yourself out of a job.
   • Build Relationships. It has always been reported that 20% of the people in the church do most of the serving. Shake the tree. Build a relationship with someone. Express your need for assistance with a ministry.

These are just but a few things. I could list more. I believe the most important lesson today is choose to be in the moment with Christ. Knowing Christ and the inheritance we have in Him is our greatest joy. As David stated and as Mary chose, Christ is our necessary portion that will never be taken away.

Grace and Peace! – GT