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But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

 

Love for a neighbor is always measured (as it was in the story of the Good Samaritan) in practical ways. Love for God, however, is often measured in impractical ways. In Martha’s opinion, Mary was wasting her time sitting at the Lord’s feet while the details in the kitchen required her attention (Luke 10:39-40). The woman who lavished her ointment on the head of Jesus was also accused of being impractical and of wasting money (Matthew 26:7-9).

We show our love for people by service. We show our love for God by worship. One who worships does not count the pennies or the hours but sees only the immense value of the Person he is worshiping. To the outside world, which measures everything by its efficiency, these dollars and hours seem wasteful. But to those who love God from their hearts, the money and time expended are only a trifling pittance.

When it comes to loving people, we must be very practical, but when it comes to worshiping God, we must lay aside our desire to be busy. In our love for God, let us detach ourselves from an earthly mentality. Even if our practical, reasoning side says, “You’re being wasteful,” let’s lavish our time and money upon the Lord in true worship.

2020-12-31T10:58:52-07:00

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

 

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2020-12-31T10:53:06-07:00

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it—and I won’t take it away from her.” – Luke 10:41-42

 

(more…)

2020-12-31T10:47:12-07:00

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” – Luke 10:29

As used in this context, your neighbor means “someone near.” God has positioned near us all kinds of people with all kinds of needs. By showing love and generosity to such people, we are fulfilling one of the greatest commandments.

The children of Israel were told to treat a runaway slave as a neighbor and to give him refuge (Deuteronomy 23:15). They were also told not to barge into a neighbor’s house to take an article for collateral. They were to let the person bring it out to them, and if the neighbor was poor and had only a cloak for collateral, they could not keep it overnight. In addition, they were told to leave intentional harvests of wheat, olives, and grapes for the poor (Deuteronomy 24:10-13,19-21).

The generosity of the Good Samaritan to his “neighbor,” someone who was near, distinguished his true religion from the selfish religion of the Levite and priest (Luke 10:25-35). Likewise, Jesus’ commandment to us is “Now go and do the same” (v. 37).

We complicate our religion when we think of it as distant and difficult. In fact, it is near—as near as a neighbor in need. If we focus our love and generosity on neighbors in need, God will meet our own needs in return.

2020-04-03T00:00:00-06:00
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