CONCERN FOR THE ONE THING

Luke 10:38-42 reads, As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset about all the details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Let me emphasize some scripture here. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing…later Jesus says, “There is only one thing worth being concerned about.”

So, when our concerns go rampant, where do they go? The battle is in our mind. Like Martha, we begin to worry. We worry about our relationships, our family, our responsibilities, our jobs, our health, our finances etc. We let fear and worry take over. We take our focus off Jesus and we let the enemy slip into the battle ground. Just as when Peter boldly walked on the water towards Jesus. When the winds and waves picked up, he was distracted (he took his eyes off of Jesus, his faith waivered) and he began to sink.

My dear brothers and sisters, let me remind you of what God can do when we keep our eyes on Him.

RELATIONSHIPS

Ruth goes back to Judah with Naomi. She spoke these words: Ruth 1:16, But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.Ruth accepts Naomi’s God, our God, into her heart and God lines things up so that Ruth, a widow, is no longer alone, but taken care of. God provides her with a home, a husband, a son to carry on her husband’s name and more. It was said in Ruth 4:14 to Naomi, Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family. This redemption came from faith in God.

We all know the story of the prodigal son. He asks for his inheritance and then squanders it away foolishly in sin. When he returns with shame, his father runs to greet him, embraces him, gives him a ring, clothes in fine linen, and has the finest calf slaughtered. He is welcomed home with love. God does this for us as well, His children. In our brokenness we may choose to do something our own way instead of God’s way. Yet, when we recognize that we have strayed and return to the Father with a repentant heart, He accepts us with arms wide open!

JOBS/CAREER/RESPONSIBILITY

Joseph received dreams from God. His brothers didn’t like the interpretations. He was sold into slavery, his father thought he was dead, and was later wrongfully imprisoned. But in his faithfulness to God, he became second in command in Egypt. He could have let bitterness consume him, and he would have lost the blessings of God, instead he remained faithful to God and was blessed.

Let’s look at Esther. She could have kept her heritage a secret. In faith and trust in God she risked her own life to save her people. Sound familiar? Jesus!

HEALTH

Let us go back to Martha, Mary and Lazarus. In John 11, Jesus is called because Lazarus is sick and dying. Jesus came in after his death. Was Jesus worried, no…He knew what the Father wanted Him to do, and it would be for the good of Martha, Mary and Lazarus and the glory of God.

FINANCES

In 2 Kings 4 Elisha helps a poor widow. Her husband is dead and her two sons were to be taken away as slaves. All she has is a flask of olive oil. Elisha, a prophet and anointed by God, has her collect as many jars as she can. From that single flask of olive oil she fills each jar until there were no more jars. Elisha tells her in verse 7Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what’s left.”

My dear brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you, when you begin to get fearful or worry, keep fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith! Whatever you may be dealing with, you do not have to deal with alone. God wants to help you! Take it to Him in prayer before you do anything else! He wants to be in relation with you! He wants you to give your burden to Him so that He can help you.

I read something that really hit me the other day. I am going to share it with you now.

“I quit venting and began praying because I don’t need sympathy, I need strength!”

Matthew 11:28-30, Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

Jeremiah 31:25, For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.

© 2021 Leslie Wittenmyer – All rights reserved