Sunflower Faith

Did you know that Jesus took time, alone, from what He was doing, six different times in the bible?

• Matt.14:22-23-After the feeding of five thousand
• Lk. 6:12-13- Before making a decision, He went off alone, to pray all that night to God
• Mk. 6:31-We don’t see Jesus on the go, but instead He tells His disciples,”And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
• Mk. 7:24-Jesus didn’t want anyone to know where He was and withdrew
• Lk. 22:41-While the others slept,Jesus was alone, before His betrayal

There is no question about it, we live in a fast paced world, that is fueled by the Internet that doesn’t shut down at 9 or 10 o’clock at night, but rather, there is someone whose up, or awake, somewhere.

For those who work and have to “live by the cellphone”, many could attest about the phone ringing at all hours of the night, maybe being called into work due to an emergency, to replace someone who didn’t make it to work, or maybe just on the end of an important phone call.

We don’t stop and it seems the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to bed, our days are filled with activity of something….yet….it’s little wonder, many are tired.

In the process….we run that line of becoming too much like Martha, running back and forth, fretting about getting ready, be it dinner, or tomorrow’s work project, that unlike Mary, who stop to listen, Martha was just too busy….over busy perhaps?

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42, New King James Version)

Matthew Henry Commentary looked at this and shared the following perspective:

A good sermon is not the worse for being preached in a house; and the visits of our friends should be so managed, as to make them turn to the good of their souls. Sitting at Christ’s feet, signifies readiness to receive his word, and submission to the guidance of it.

Martha was providing for the entertainment of Christ, and those that came with him. Here were respect to our Lord Jesus and right care of her household affairs. But there was something to be blamed.

She was for much serving; plenty, variety, and exactness. Worldly business is a snare to us, when it hinders us from serving God, and getting good to our souls. What needless time is wasted, and expense often laid out, even in entertaining professors of the gospel! Though Martha was on this occasion faulty, yet she was a true believer, and in her general conduct did not neglect the one thing needful. The favour of God is needful to our happiness; the salvation of Christ is needful to our safety.

Where this is attended to, all other things will be rightly pursued. Christ declared, Mary hath chosen the good part. For one thing is needful, this one thing that she has done, to give up herself to the guidance of Christ.

The things of this life will be taken away from us, at the furthest, when we shall be taken away from them; but nothing shall separate from the love of Christ, and a part in that love. Men and devils cannot take it away from us, and God and Christ will not. Let us mind the one thing needful more diligently.

In a 2010 survey by Lifeway Christian Resources, 18-29 year olds, were surveyed and the following was shared:

•65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either.

•65% rarely or never attend worship services.

•67% don’t read the Bible or sacred texts.

That’s pretty substantial.

But what about those who are 29 and older?

The CODEC’s National Biblical Literacy Survey 2009, the following was shared:

• 18% said that they had read the Bible in the last week
• 13% said that they had never read the Bible
• 31% said the Bible was significant in their lives now and of these 74% said it always had been

• 47% said the Bible was never significant to them

It’s clear then that the Bible remains important today, in some kind of latent way, for almost a third of those surveyed, although that relevance decreases among the under 45s.  But the Bible remains irrelevant to almost half the population (47%) and this figure increases to 70% among those between 16 and 24.

With the advent of social medias, apps, ebooks, and well, it seems just about the mass availability, it seems so much easier to not find time, then find time for many.

Everywhere we see blog posts (even by me), books, magazines, videos, classes, courses and more about having a better prayer life, finding time to pray, how to pray, how to read the bible, but away from the cellphones and the computers and the ebooks and the television…..do we truly just, say,”I’m going to just do this”?

⁴² But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42, New King James Version)

‘Come away by yourselves for a while..’ Mark 6:31(a)

We’re all bad with time…even yours’ truly…..but we need to learn to rest….and not try to get up in the morning if we aren’t early birds….it could be in the middle of the day during lunch, during a work break, or late at night when everyone else is sleeping.

Just a moment….

….to breathe.

….to pray as in really pray, and not that we get from point A to point B, but really pray

….to spend time with Him

….to spend time really reading His word, even a chapter a day, if need.

We live in a busy world, but we shouldn’t be slaves to the clock and calendar.

Even Jesus found time to rest, to pray, to be with our Father, so can we, if we truly let ourselves do that.

So if you find yourself wanting to have a better or deeper pray life, and spend more time in His Word, look no closer than in the Bible and like Him, make the time…not just plan, but make it….even a twenty minute period.

Don’t let the clock or calendar be your master.

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