God is soooooo good that great is only a place to start talking about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! This morning the Spirit got me up at 4:00am to talk about something on His heart. He started by talking about Mary and Martha, but mostly Martha. Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Mary was doing what was needed, while Martha was doing things that needed to be done. Martha was serving at a time when the greatest servant that ever lived was in the house to serve her. Mary got it, Martha missed it. The scriptures tell us to submit to one another. That is not instructions on submitting to a master (or spiritual authority) but on submitting to a greater servant; “whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26b). Learn to let God be God. God was a servant from the beginning and has not changed.
Martha was worried and concerned about many things, and was running around trying to do. Mary was in the house and had the same number of things that needed doing. When a greater servant is in the house, it is time to worry not and a time to be served. When we go into a restaurant we do not sit the waiter down and serve them. The waiter is the greater servant, representing the owner. When the meal is over, we may reward the waiter for being a great servant. That is submitting to one another. Jesus said if we seek first the kingdom of God (where King God serves us) all these (house, food, clothes, etc.) will be supplied (NKJV reads “added to you”). Praise God!
Corporately we have to learn to be servants and to be served; submitting to one another. Service flows from God through the body. That is true when it is one body (or one person – take it personally), or a body of believers (take it corporately). Everyone has a portion of each of the ministry gifts given to us by Jesus, ten days before the Holy Spirit was poured out on all flesh. We each have a different mix of the ministering gifts according to the assignment (calling) we have in the body of Christ. These are gifts given to us so we can and will serve. We can get busy, as Martha did, and miss the opportunities to be served by a greater servant. When a servant serves, God should get the glory. When we allow God to serve, God does get the glory. Let God be God.
© 2010, Tim D. Coulter Sr.