Read the scripture Luke 10:38 -42. The greatest possession
I have chosen this passage of Mary and Martha meeting Jesus because the story of these two sisters reminds me a great deal of our dear sister Grace and points us to the greatest possession any person can obtain. From this passage we can learn , the importance of close fellowship with our Lord coupled with appropriate service in the Lord.
Grace was a lady who desired to live out a godly balance of devotion and service to her Lord and now she is hearing the approval of her Lord, “Well done and good and faithful servant.”
Here we have Jesus passing through the village of Bethany and as a result being invited in for a meal at the home of Martha and Mary sisters whose brother was Lazarus whom Jesus would later raise from the dead. (John 11:44).
Here we have two sisters with two responses to Jesus? And through it we can ask the question how do you respond to Him? I wonder Have you ever had someone very important come to your house for a meal, maybe they’ve just shown up out of the blue its taken you by surprise, how do you respond? Are you a hub of activity or do you sit with your guest and spend time with them and share simply what you have, making the guest the most important person.
1.Martha is a picture of someone in possession of distracted fellowship with the Lord (4).
Martha invited Jesus into their home but she became distracted by getting everything just right.
The Greek word properly signifies to be drawn different ways at the same time, and admirably expresses the situation of a mind, surrounded (as Martha's then was) with so many objects of care, that it hardly knows which to attend to first. (Headless chicken comes to attention).
Martha was providing for the entertainment of Christ, and those that came with him. Here was respect to our Lord Jesus and right care of her household affairs.
But there was something to be blamed. She was for much serving; plenty, variety, and exactness. Worldly business is a snare to us, when it hinders us from serving God, and getting good to our souls.
She also had a spirit of fretfulness and complaint (To much service not enough devotion)
Application: Firstly although we might know about Jesus and even know him personally our lives can become so busy attending to other things, sometimes legitimate things , that we can forget the most important and that is an intimate relationship with Jesus. Christians are good at this in our busyness we actually forget the most important Him!
Here we see also that Martha has a spirit of fretfulness and complaint in regard to her sisters activity of sitting at the feet of Jesus while she is busy ~ she desired help ~ seems legitimate~ but she had the spirit of complaint.
Application: secondly the biggest obstacle from coming to Jesus is ourselves and the world and all its distractions ~ things we have to do ~ I m so busy, ive no time for Jesus, rather than getting what we really need we get what we don’t really need and it never satisfies..
Our dear sister Grace Young was a saint in the really sense of the word, (not simply super saints accolade given by the Church) but to every true believer in Christ, a saint. Grace was devoted to Jesus Christ all the years of her life, she sat at His feet ~ there were many things which could have easily distracted her from that devotion as we all know, but Grace was committed to sitting at the feet of Jesus through it all.
Her time was spent in active service also many years in this Chapel and community. I know personally and others too, can give testimony to her active service to the life of this Chapel for Gods kingdom whether that was in the children’s work with (Paul & Bernie) to the practical duties in the life of the Chapel.
Unlike Martha, Mary never allowed this duties to get in her way of her first love the Lord Jesus Christ. She gave herself wholeheartedly to the work of the Lord but never forgot to sit at the feet of Jesus , under his word, whether that was Sunday by Sunday or in her own personal devotions she was a women who had a good balance of service and devotion to her Lord.
2. Mary is a picture of someone in possession of close fellowship with the Lord.
• Sitting at Christ's feet, signifies readiness to receive his word, and submission to the guidance of it.
Mary on the other hand she takes time out when that someone special turns up out of the blue she just leaves everything there is too do, she desires to be with Jesus, listening to his every word.
To me personally, Grace was such a women~ I’m not just saying this as someone who didn’t know her it was my privilege to know her the last six years of her life.
When I meet her she was always a Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus ~ a person who spends quality time with Jesus whether in the chapel with others ~ in service~ in her own home. Grace’s door was always open, not only to Jesus but to family and friends~ her home was a shelter and a haven to many. You would always take grace as you found her in her home. But her home was open to Jesus to family and friends.
She would make you feel very welcome she wouldn’t rush around but sit with you, she would listen, really care and minister we often spent time in prayer together also.
She loved Jesus make no doubt about it and I’ll tell you why, at the side of her chair was always her daily readings , her Bible and other books one such book was on the life of Jodi Erickson Tada who knew great tragedy in her life but through it all trusted in the Lord. Grace too was a women who known great tragedy and yet through it all was as resolute as Jodi to be devoted to Jesus~ she was a fine example of a women devoted to Jesus. .
• A Saint does not know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. The experience of life, whether they are everyday events or terrifying ones, is powerless to “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:39). Oswald Chambers
• I often went to minister to Grace and she would truly minister to me too.
3. The greatest possession is the grace of God and the favour of Christ.
We see Jesus speaks tenderly speaks to Martha, “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or in deed only one.”
Jesus is saying to Martha that bread for our bodies may well be important but that food for our souls is more important and that Mary has chosen that good part which is better. (Jesus bread of life!)
Grace was a women who came to realise that nothing that she could do ~ could ever win the affections of the Lord Jesus ~ nothing she could do that could ever repay her Lord for what He had done for her – she was devoted to Jesus as a result .
I imagine when her own mother and father gave her the Name Grace~ the prayer must have been that their daughters life would be touched by the Grace of God. Because her name magnifies Gods Grace.
Grace: God’s undeserved kindness had been bestowed upon her at a young age she had come to know Jesus as her Lord and Saviour and she had the greatest possession of all in her life ~ For t is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Eph 2:8.
As a tribute to Grace she would long for us all to come and experience the Grace of God too through the Lord Jesus Christ. & today you too are invited to sit at the feet of Jesus to stop being distracted by the things of this world, stopping fretting about others, and trust for yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour & Lord.This is the greatest possession the grace of God the favour of Christ in your life!
He died that you might live! He rose that you might rise too. Our dear sister Grace is today sat at the feet of Jesus we too can join her wont you come?
AMEN
