(Luke 10:40) “But Martha was cumbered about much serving…and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?”
Mary and Martha had invited Jesus into their home. The problem was, by the time Jesus arrived, Martha was stressed out! There was so much work to be done: the house had to be cleaned, the meal had to be cooked, and the table had to be set. Everything had to be just right because Jesus was coming.
Sometimes we can be as bad as Martha. We allow ourselves to become so stressed out by life that we fail to simply enjoy our service. There are two lessons we can learn from Martha’s stress.
LESSON #1: Serving the Lord should not become stressful. Mary wasn’t stressed out at all. I don’t think Mary was lazy, she just thought it was more important to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His Word, first.The reason many people end up stressed out isn’t because they don’t love the Lord; it is because they are trying to do the work of the ministry in the flesh, without preparing their heart, first. Your flesh will fail you. Therefore, it is imperative that you take time, like Mary, to sit at the feet of Jesus before you serve.
LESSON #2: Our WORSHIP is more important than our WORK. I am not saying our work isn’t important; it is. I am simply saying that our work will not be all it should be if it is not done from a heart of worship.
So, the solution to your stress is to evaluate why you are doing what you are doing. Are you putting more time and energy into your WORK or into your WORSHIP? When your worship is right, your work will not be a burden; it will be a blessing.