Unwinding Tight Christians

There are many ways to mess up your life. Doing the wrong things the right way, or doing the right things the wrong way. It is easy to start thinking in the wrong ways in ministry. That's what happened to the disciples in Luke 10:20. Also to the lawyer in verses 25 and following. Also true for us. Our text will help us to avoid mistakes we are probably already making. Martha is welcoming Jesus and His disciples, doing the right thing. She is serving--a lot. Her error is not doing too little, but too much. If you are not serving Jesus, you have missed your reason for existence. Martha's over-serving is distracting her and this story, take note, comes straight after that of the good Samaritan. This flustered distraction is the first sign something is wrong. She leaves what she is doing to confront Jesus about whether He truly cares or not. Shocking! Her self-pity cannot be hidden. She is brewing negative thoughts against her sister. Astoundingly, Christians get to play a part in God's redemptive history, yet we complain about lack of personal fulfillment! Taking personal offense is a sign that something is wrong in your heart. We have fallen into this trap if we find ourselves troubled and anxious in Christian service. Martha has made a bigger priority out of doing stuff for Jesus than she was of simply listening to Jesus. Mary wasn't flustered. She is listening to Jesus. For Mary, this is the one critical thing. Jesus also declares that this is the single necessity. Nothing else matters. If Jesus is not the only thing for you, it is time to repent. Ministry is a privilege, not a burden. Just because your church holds God's Word prominent, doesn't automatically mean you do