HOW TO BE MARY IN MARTHA'S WORLD.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be Mary in Martha’s world? The phrase “It’s all about the hustle” has been used a lot, especially in this generation. In fact, we celebrate you when all you do is go or do. And to some extent, we rarely consider mental health, state of mind, and health. Some people even go to the extent of saying that they will rest when they die.

But what about resting? Sadly, this is the same way we are with God. We assume that as long as we do what He tells us to do, then we are good. And because of this mentality, we almost dread doing anything for God. Worse still, we have conditioned ourselves to think that God’s will is not likable, hence we are afraid to even ask Him to tell us His will for our lives. Have there been moments where you’ve felt like you’ll sneak in your will behind God’s will?

Do you feel like there is no congruence between your will and God’s will? This is not true. God cares about your desires, too. He is all about partnership and not a dictatorship. He would rather have you do His will because you want to and not because you have to. You should have joy serving God, you should be happy and excited when He gives you a task. And although doing what God requires of you pleases Him, He wants you to spend time with Him and have an intimate relationship with Him.

It is more fulfilling to work for God from a place of rest. When you pause to spend time with God, He will rejuvenate you and energize you thus, you will come out stronger and better equipped to complete the tasks assigned to you. Better yet, you will find joy in being His servant.

Let’s look at the story of Mary and Martha.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha, and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated by finishing the many household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself?

The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” Luke 10:38‭-‬42 TPT

Here we see two ladies both wanting to express their adoration to Jesus in different ways. Martha concerned herself with the work, ensuring that her guests were comfortable and well-fed. Which is a good thing. Mary gleaned from Jesus and absorbed the revelations He shared.

Martha represents the old covenant whose emphasis was on your works, being the ones to save you. Mary represents the new covenant, which is Grace. This new covenant says that it is by faith that Jesus saved us and not through works, lest one should boast. Jesus came to fulfill the law and gave us the gift of a better covenant. One that is perfect. The main reason Jesus came was to bring us salvation, which we could not experience in the former covenant.

So why do we still choose to act like Martha when acting like Mary will breed better results?

Have you been Martha instead of Mary, although you know better? What are some reasons that lead you to act like Martha?

Wrong doctrine.

Religion tells you to do and not be and because of that, you try to earn God’s love through your works. You think God will accept you more if you focus on doing His work, praying, tithing, and sowing. And while all this is good, the motive behind it should be from a place of relationship with Him. You should want to do it all because of your relationship with Him. In John 3:16, The Bible tells us that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting love. And another scripture tells us we can never earn God’s love because He has freely given it to you and me.

Why would you try to earn His love when God has freely given it to you? Religion focuses on how your actions will earn your God’s acceptance and resting on God almost sounds lazy. The wrong doctrine portrays the Christian journey as one in which one shouldn’t live a fulfilled life and one that is full of suffering and a slave mentality because of the endless chores that come with being a Christian.

But in all honesty, God wants you to live a fulfilled life. That is why Jesus says that He came so that you and I can live an abundant life. And also because of Jesus’ finished works on the cross, we are no longer slaves but children of God. And as children, we should seek to have a relationship with God and spend time with Him.

Identity crisis.

When you don’t know who you are in Christ, you will always try to earn what He gave you for free. Accept that the price Jesus paid is yours already. Your good works do not earn your acceptance of God’s sight, and your lack of good works does not disqualify you either. Rather, it is through the fact that God created you and you are His most prized possession. While you were still a sinner, Christ loved and died for you. He did not wait for you to get your act together before He could die for you. No! He did it even before you thought of Him.

Not knowing who you are in Christ will leave you in a crisis because you will try to gain acceptance through your actions, leaving you feeling unworthy and not good enough. This is because you can never measure up to God’s standards. He is perfect; unfortunately, you and I are not, which means we will constantly fall short. No amount of good work will get you to heaven as it is through your relationship with Jesus. The only way you will be saved is through accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

How then can you position yourself to be a Mary in Martha’s world?

What are some things that you can do to position yourself to be Mary in Martha’s world?

Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

This will take the pressure off of you because you realize Jesus has paid the price, and you have been fully accepted. Your sins have been forgiven and when God looks at you, He sees His Son, who is perfect because now Jesus lives inside you. A relationship with Jesus will also help you have personal encounters with Him. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is key. From the passage, we saw Mary lean into Jesus to soak in every word that came out of His mouth. Mary recognized that the only way she could receive from Jesus was when she focused on what Jesus said and not focus on doing what is expected of her.

Don’t get me wrong, living right and following the rules is great. After all, when you follow the path stipulated by God for you, it is for your own good. The benefits of right living outweigh the thrills of disobedience.

Spend time with Him.

Spending time with Jesus does not have to be a chore. You can start with 10 minutes every day. If you don’t know what to do, start with prayer and just tell Him how your day or night was. Pour your heart out to Him. Then take your Bible and read. You could start with the book of John, get to know more about Jesus, what He did for you, how His ministry was, and the core of the Gospel. This will help you in building a personal relationship with Him. This is because there is at least one area you are struggling with that Jesus is addressing in the book of John.

If you go through a hard time, read the book of Psalms, this will help you put into words some emotions you are feeling. As you read the book of Psalms, you realize the Psalmists faced the same problems you are. Because of how relatable their situation is with yours, you will easily want to let your guard down and be vulnerable with Jesus which will strengthen your relationship with Him.

The more you spend time with Him, the more you will learn to hear His voice and He will reveal His heart to you. He will speak to you through the word and you will find solutions to problems you are facing in His word. Sometimes He will direct you through a vision of the way He wants you to follow. Whatever the case may be a relationship with God cultivated through spending time with him is a sure way to become a Mary in Martha’s world.

Vulnerability.

Being open and raw when talking to Jesus is key. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to glean from Him, and what she got from Him was permanently etched in her heart. Some revelations that Jesus will give you during your secret time with Him will shape your journey and mature you in your walk with Him. What God tells you personally will never be taken away from you, even when the storms of life come. That is why it is important to spend time with God instead of focusing on the works. Another thing is that through your personal relationship with Jesus, doing His work will no longer be a chore because He will equip you and give you the strength to do it. Vulnerability is key if you want to be Mary in Martha’s world.

Final thought

You can be Mary in Martha’s world. Ever wondered how Paul was confident enough to say that he counts it all joy when he is persecuted for Christ? It is because He used to spend time with Jesus and thus the Holy Spirit empowered him to face the impossible situations he did. Another example is Stephen. He did not even feel the pain as he was being stoned because he had walked with Jesus to where he disregarded his suffering for the sake of Christ. God does not want you to walk this journey in your own strength because you will experience constant burnout. That is why He sent His Spirit to help you and empower you. We find everything we need in Him and through Him.

You want to be generous. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you that gift. Is it teaching? He can help you be the best teacher by imparting His gift to you. There are other gifts, including knowledge, wisdom, teaching, administration, etc. Whatever you need to do for God, just ask the Holy Spirit. The yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light. That is why He calls all those who are heavy-laden to come to Him so that He can give them rest.

Do you want to stop living a life of striving and enter the rest of God? Resting in God is vital. Do not focus on what you can do for God that you forget to just be in His presence. Allow Him to refresh you and share with you what is in His heart. God created you for a relationship with Him, never forget that. And step into your new life of being Mary in Martha’s world.

And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!” And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own. Romans 8:15‭-‬17 TPT