Feet First!

Hello this is Willa Hardy with man talk radio.

We all about breaking down the walls of race and denomination your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just a few minutes. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening to the truth. Podcast network. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything urgent prayer. Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to love and now James understand you have had a very exciting afternoon where our dog had her first letter.

Will ever do milk chocolate or dark chocolate and one vanilla dog boy one girl. I will sort so this just happened to work on the car around noon and I heard James getting your corrected arts. Our standard poodle labor for the past several hours to get much sleep last night but man when it happened it was like my wife Catherine lab or doodle venture called River home doodles and she did. Anyhow, she had everything all set up and it went great. Really no complication can afternoon like that. Are you sure you still want talk about Mary and Martha mean what it looks right about Martha that she was distracted by all the preparations she had to make government but we really clear. No that you were so what you want to go with Mary and Martha will maybe not everyone knows the stories… Going to insert their Jesus was in their home and in Luke writes in Luke 1040 and following that Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, or don't you care that my sisters left me to do the work by myself tell her to help me and implored response.

Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed were indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, it will not be taken from her now. I love this passage but usually when folks talk about it.

It boils down to simple pointer to be like Mary, don't be like Martha spend more time at Jesus feet and that's okay as far as it goes, but it leaves most folks saying well I guess I'm just a Martha that's who I am because what we really need to do is look at why Jesus says what he does because otherwise people to say what Jesus needs people to get stuff done to. It's almost like to give up on the idea of her being like Mary even though Jesus said that Mary chose what was better.

This is where we need to look at the fact that Mary was doing something first of all, but again we need to ask why, why did Jesus and Mary chose what is better, and not only that, why did he say it will not be taken from her. If we go there. See some great things. One of the interesting things about what happened that day was that Mary was sitting at Jesus feet and it was unusual for Rabbi and Jesus day to even allow a woman to do that. Do you think that's part of the reason why Martha said to him to help me yeah I do think it was because a lot of rabbis in Jesus day they avoid it.

Women, so it's very interesting but anyway you look at this still the main focus here is on being at Jesus feet and if you think about it. That's where really good stuff happens. Just think about the one wiping Jesus feet with her hair. The man with a demon possessed son who knelt before him or charge the synagogue.

Later his daughter was really deathly ill bring something good happened for each one. Yeah, right. And we need each one of them fell at Jesus feet or think about the leper who did the same thing or the man possessed by a legion of demons were or Peter when he said go away from me from a sinful man in and then Jesus told him to follow him. So, again something good happening. Each of these instances and that's what we don't want to miss here that that's why Mary chose what is better. Good things happen in Jesus feet were blessed when we go there and you know I think what that means being in Jesus feet is just being quietly attentive to them. Plus you look at it from the other angle look at Martha's question, don't you care that my sisters left me to do the work by myself DC out how alone she feels and ended the distance from Jesus with almost like he/she has is critical spirit toward him and and isn't that what can happen when we get distracted and busy.

Jesus seems farther away and and so do others as well. So what Jesus said about Mary that it it won't be taken from her. That's really interesting yet it is usually don't hear too much about that but first I love that. He just said it because think about it.

It shows us the time we spend at his feet really mean something to him so he saying that if we do this, you know, we won't regret it will be blessed.

I think it really helps to realize how much time we spend with them means what that means to him. It's like he's defending what it says it will be taken from her. That's like the time you talk about running that's really cool yeah yeah and I love that if we decide to get there.

You know by reading his word by sitting quietly before him by listening and living in relationship with him in this natural unforced way in prayer we decide to do that. He will help us stay there because he loves to have us there more than anywhere else.

Again, remember what he said one thing is is needed. So again it's like this promise from him. But if we do this will bless us, so we want to be at Jesus feet. Because there's peace and there's power in quiet attentiveness to him is for some option conform actually the other things that we do that brings us back to what Luke said about the preparations that had to be made.

If Martha had been with him first. I think the preparation she made would've been made differently and better because of it. Maybe Jesus would've helped her and he did when he broke bread for a crowd of made wine and the wedding. Maybe everyone work together right mean any number of things that happened. I like what Ben Patterson wrote about the specificity. It is God against doing it said that he wants us to understand that being always precedes doing and who we are with him is more important than what we do. So you could say that Jesus wants us to live feet first. Yeah, absolutely. At his feet start there.

Everything starts there. Do we want God to bless what we are doing, or do we want to do what God is blessing. That's the real question so so often we look. The first way right in and we get going on a course of action. Ask God to help us but we learn to just be quietly attentive, we will hear and know is leading and blessing more intimately than we could any other way. In our work will benefit because of it. What is better. That's the beauty of it. Sometimes I think life can even be like a pile of puppies and why God sent Jesus thing to this passage and help us to get there at your feet and and let those feet lead us rather than us leaving your feet seems impossible.

So I guess we just need to make sure that you're the horse that leads our cart that Lord help us to just call on you and to spend time there. Jesus hear more from Pastor James by visiting our website. James bank.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network