This may not make any sense to you if it doesn't I'm sorry. This is comming from my perspective on what I got out of my devotional. Have you ever read about Martha and Mary in the Bible? Martha and Mary were two completly diffrent sisters. Here are the verses I read today... "Now it happend as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and say to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and torubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." John-38-42 (KJV) Thre are many things that came to mind when I read this... How I saw it was... Martha's behavior shows how subtly and sinfully human pride can corrupt even the best of our actions. What Martha was doing was by no means a bad thing. (at least that's how I see it) She felt like she was just waiting on Christ and her other guests. In a very practical and functional sense, she was acting as servant to all, just as Christ had so often commanded. I feel that in the begining she may have began with the best of intentions and motives. But the moment she stoped listening to Christ and made something other than Him the focus of her heart and attention became very self-centered. I feel that even at that point in time her service to Christ became tainted with self-absorption and spoiled by a very uncharitable falilure to assume the best of her sister. I think that Martha was showing an act of sinful pride. I feel that some of those acts were as follows.... anger, resentment, jealousy, distrust, a critical spirit, judgemenatlism and unkindness. Worst of all I feel that Martha's words impundge the Lord Himself. When she had said to the Lord. "Lord do you not care...?" I couldn't even believe she or anyone would say that to our Heavenly Father. Did she really think He didn't care? She had to have known better... didn't she? Martha to her great credit, was at the opposite end of the hospitality spectrum. She fussed over her hostessing duties. She wanted everything to be just right for her guests. She was conscientious and considerate hostess, and these were admirable traits. Much in her behavior was commendable. Nothing was wrong with her hospitality. How-ever, her priorites were out of order. She was so concerned with the task of serving the food and serving Jesus that she missed the greater importance of taking time to sit at Jesus' feet. Life's greatest priority should be to take in an reflect upon what God would have us do. Mary was so consumed with thoughts of Christ that she became completely oblivious to everything else that was around her. She sat at our Lords feet filled with over joy! She was listening to his every word. Mary did more than just sit at the feet of Jesus. She undoubtedly too her turn at serving. The tension was caused not by Mary's unwillingness to help but by Martha's excessive preparations. Jesus said such extradinary efforts were unnecessary. Our adoration for Jesus should lead to service- but in an appropriate, not extreme, way. In reality, Mary was the one whose heart was in the right place. Her motives and desires were more commendable than Martha's Jesus knew it, even though no mere mortalk could ever make that judgement by observing the external behavior of the two woman. But Jesus knew it because Hew knew the hearts of both of them. I love the way Jesus came across in this scene. He was the perfect houseguest. He instantly made Himself at home. He enjoyed the fellowship and conversation, and as always, His contribution to the discussion was enlightening to me. I think that there was no doubt His disciples were asking Him questions and He was giving answers that were thought-provoking. Mary's instinct was to sit at His feet and cling to his every word! Martha on the other hand was the fastidious one, went right to work with her preparations for the dinner. So... what did I get out of this.... Martha is first of all a reminder to all of us that we should honor others over ourselves. "Be kindly affectionate to one anotehr with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another"- (Romans 12:10 KJV) I've wondered what it would of been like to be in Mary's shoes. To be washing our Heavnly father's feet then to be able to sit down by Him and listen to His every word. I've always felt it would have been an experence of a lifetime to have been livng when Jesus lived. I can't wait to get to Heaven to meet Him face to face!!!!! I leave you with this... Which one are you? Are you Martha or Mary?

Today I was sitting here listening/singing to Casting Crowns. While I was listtening/singing to it, I started to think about the song "If we are the body" Here are the words to the song... "It's croweded in worship today As she slips in trying to fade into the faces The girls teasing laughter is carrying father than they know Farther than they know But if we are the body Why aren't His arms reaching? Why aren't His hands healing? Why aren't His words teaching? And if we are the body Why aren't His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way? There is a way A traveler is far away from home He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row The weight of their judgemental glances Tells him that his chances are better out on the road Jesus paid much to high a price For us to pick and choose who should come And we are the body of Christ JESUS IS THE WAY! "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favortisim. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you, but say to the poor man,"you stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughs? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love Him? But you have unsulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal lay found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favortisim, you SIN and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."- James 2:1-9 (NIV) I've noticed that some some church's can be this way. They don't take the time to get to know a person. They take one look at them. And go ugh we don't want them here. Or they hear rummors about them from their fellow church members and go oh we don't want them in "our church" Same goes for people outside of the church. They take one look at a person and go ugh I don't want anything to do with them. Or they hear rummors, or acusations about someone and they don't give them the time or day to explain themselves. Are you willing to go out of your comfort zone and go up to someone you wouldn't normally go up to and welcome them into your church? Are you willing to go out of your comfort zone and iggnore what other people say about that person and make your own mind up about them? If Jesus can come down here on earth and go into the towns where there were people who no one would talk to because they were "unclean" or so on. Couldn't we do the same? Why is it so hard for people to be nice to God's childern? Why do we always have to judge a person from the outside instead of looking at the person from the inside? My challenge for you is to... Go out of your comfort zone and welcome someone you wouldn't normally talk to. Don't worry what other people think! (I would worry what God thinks) You might be surprised at what you see! ;-)