Why Not Now: Strengthening My Relationship with Jesus - Thursday
Luke 10:41
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!” (NLT)
If you’ve ever been married, then it’s likely that one of the most hectic experiences of your life was the wedding day. If your wedding day was peaceful and relaxing, consider yourself lucky, but it’s likely that at least some of the days leading up to the main event were crazy. Throwing a party isn’t easy; as we’ve seen this week, Martha found herself at her wit's end.
Last we left Martha, she had just given Jesus an earful about her sister Mary’s laziness. Jesus’ response is fair, firm, and direct. He points out that Martha’s got her focus on the wrong things. There’s an old saying that goes, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” The point of this saying is that we can get really busy doing things for God and totally miss out on a relationship with Him.
In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (NIV). Or, as we’ve seen from this story, you can do something (even a lot of “somethings”), but it will get you nowhere good fast. Martha made the mistake of being so busy serving Jesus that she forgot to be with Jesus.
If you find yourself in a place in life where you are regularly worried and upset, it’s time to reevaluate. It’s time to strengthen your relationship with Jesus. The fruit of life with Jesus is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Bible calls these characteristics the fruit of the Spirit. This is the life Jesus invites us into; the question is, are we living it?
Thursday’s Reflection
Do an inventory of the spiritual fruit listed above. Invite Jesus into this exercise, and ask Him to lead you away from worry and into peace.
