Activity and Intimacy

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Steve Foster

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

As I think through chapter 10 in Luke, I notice a balance between activity for the Lord and intimacy with the Lord. The two go together.

  • Activity (10:1-20). The seventy missionaries go out in obedience to Jesus and experience the joy of seeing His power work through them.
  • Intimacy (10:21-24). Jesus’ prayer centers on those who are like “little children”–not proud in their own knowledge but trusting of their Father.
  • Activity (10:25-37). Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan graphically illustrates our need to move out in love and compassion toward those in need.
  • Intimacy (10:38-42). The story of Mary and Martha reminds us that our love must first be directed toward Christ if it is to be properly manifested toward others.

Martha is a good reminder to us that activity for Christ without intimacy with Christ is burdensome, distracting, and joyless.

As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He goes through the village of Bethany. When Martha hears that Jesus and His disciples are in the area, she immediately opens up her home to them. Notice that it is Martha that invites them all in. Martha is the active one, the one always on the move.

With Jesus, and presumably His disciples, in the house, Martha cannot stop working. She is cleaning, preparing food, setting the table, getting drinks, organizing, dusting, decorating–all the things that seem important to her in the realm of hospitality. Meanwhile, her sister, Mary, is sitting in the living room listening to Jesus, soaking in the moment, enjoying His presence, hearing the words of the Lord of the universe.

This is too much for Martha to bear. I imagine that Martha clanged a few pots here and there and cleaned a few things around Mary in hopes that Mary would notice all the work she was doing and get up and help. But Mary didn’t budge.

Finally, totally exasperated and frustrated, Martha takes her complaint to Jesus. “Lord, can You do something here? As you can see, I am running around trying to get things ready for you and my sister, Mary, is sitting here doing absolutely nothing. Can you tell her to get up and help me out?”

Jesus responds differently than Martha expected. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Whoa. I think of Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God.

It is so easy for us to get caught up doing things for the Lord. Running around in a swirl of activity. Such things are good. The Lord wants us to redeem the time. We are to go out on mission for him (vs. 1-20). We are to see the needs around us and respond in action (vs. 25-37). We are to serve Him, obey Him, work for Him. The Christian life is not a passive life. But, at the same time, our activity can easily be a substitute for our intimacy with Christ. We run around on our own agenda not His. We say it is for the Lord but it is really to soothe our own conscience or impress others or feel significant or gain approval. Why did Martha worry so much about the house being in order and the food being ready at a certain time? Was it for the Lord or for herself? She would have said, “I am doing this for the Lord!” But Jesus saw things differently.

If our activity is filled with worry and anxiety and frustration with others, then we are doing it for ourselves and not for Christ.

Now at some point that night, Jesus and the disciples ate dinner. At some point, Mary got up from Jesus’ feet and helped serve. Food was prepared. The table was set. Meals were served. Plates, cups, and utensils were cleaned. In real life, there are practical human needs that have to be attended to. We can’t just sit at Jesus’ feet all day. Life is not a perpetual spiritual retreat.

But activity for Christ and intimacy with Christ cannot be separated. I am still and silent before Him so that I can be active and effective for Him. I listen to Him so that I can obey Him. I learn in order to live. I love Him passionately in order to love others practically. I sit at His feet in order to learn how to wash feet. And in doing so, I experience His joy.

Lord, calm my spirit, remove my distractions, be my vision today. And after hearing Your voice and being filled with Your Spirit, move me out to love and serve others for Your glory.

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Humility and Simplicity

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Steve Foster

21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

22“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

The seventy missionaries return from their assignment full of joy and excitement. God had used them. They were not academically elite or spiritual superstars. They simply obeyed Jesus and were amazed at the fact that God worked through them in powerful ways.

Jesus rejoices too because in the seventy missionaries, He sees the beauty of God’s plan.

God reveals His nature and His power to those who are receptive and humble. To know God, one cannot approach Him as a subject to be mastered or a power to be harnessed or a tool to be used for one’s own purposes. God is “Lord of heaven and earth.” To know Him, one must approach Him with humility, like a child coming to His Father in trust and dependence. Those demanding that God reveal Himself to them on their terms have already missed the boat. God reveals Himself to those kneeling in humility not those standing in defiance.

This is basically what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1.

26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

God reveals Himself through the person of Jesus Christ. To know God, we have to know Jesus. Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is the One who has revealed the nature of God to us in a way that we could see and understand. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (John 1:18)

Those who come to know God through Jesus are blessed. Jesus’ disciples were eyewitnesses to all that Jesus said and did. We are “earwitnesses,” hearing and believing the message through them. Either way, knowing God through Jesus by faith is the ultimate blessing and joy of life.

As I contemplated this passage this morning, I was reminded of how easily I complicate things. Sometimes I get too bogged down in details of theology and forget that I am seeking to know God. The true God. The Lord of the universe. It is not about academics. It is about relationship. And whenever I try to fit God into my own little box, I have already lost Him. God reveals His truth to those with the heart attitude of a child. I am learning about my Father not about some mystical being or some philosophical concept.

Lord, deliver me from myself. Simplify my heart. May I not reduce You to manageable terms. May I come to experience Your power and Your love in real ways as I humbly trust You and seek to obey You.

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Facing Our Weakness

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Steve Foster

36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John 13:36-38)

You gotta love Peter. He is always the one to speak what everyone else is thinking. Bold, brash, self-confident but yet also sincere and authentic. I can’t wait to interact with him in heaven!

Jesus gives the disciples His new great command. Love one another as I have loved you. By this all men will know that you are My disciples by your love for one another. One of the centerpiece statements in the Lord’s final instructions to His disciples. The clarion call to love. The beacon of light to the world. And what is Peter thinking?

“That’s nice, Lord. But let’s go back to that little statement You made before that. The part about not being able to go where You are going” (13:33).

The word “can’t” is not a word in Peter’s vocabulary. If Jesus is going somewhere, Peter is bound and determined to go there with Him….especially if Jesus is fighting a battle, facing opposition, or setting up His kingdom. Peter wants to be there in the action.

But Peter is not as strong as he thinks he is. Jesus knows it. Peter doesn’t know it…yet.

It is interesting that all four gospels mention Peter’s denial. It is obviously an event that every disciple remembers. And it is perhaps the one most crucial event in the life, transformation, and growth of Peter. Peter had to be broken of his self-confidence (rooted in pride) in order to be given a God confidence (rooted in humility). Peter had to be made weak in order to be truly strong.

It is a process that is not fun but it is usually necessary.

Here is what Jesus says in Luke’s account (Luke 22):

31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

34Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Satan was about to take Peter through the ringer. And Jesus was going to allow it. Why? Because Jesus knew that Peter needed to know that he was not as strong as he thought he was. Peter was not in control. And the battles that he would face in life were much bigger than him. Peter needed to get a full taste of his spiritual adversary so that he would recognize his absolute need to depend on the power of Christ.

Peter also needed to develop true compassion, the ability to suffer (passion) with (com) another person. Peter could not truly “strengthen his brothers” as long as he was convinced that he had it all together in life and they were all a bunch of spiritual wimps. Remember in Matthew and Mark’s accounts, Peter made it clear: “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” (Matthew 26:33, Mark 14:29)

So why does God often allow us to go through difficult times? To break our pride. To draw us to His side. To help us learn to rely on His power. And to give us a heart of humility, love, and compassion for others.

Lord, my pride so easily sprouts its head. I rely on myself. I struggle to let go. I criticize others. I become independent. I live a prayerless life. Help me to trust You even when the medicine is strong, even when the knife cuts deep. And may I truly love and strengthen my brothers with the love and strength that I receive from You.

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Washing Feet

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Steve Foster

1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (John 13:1-5)

There is a lot to consider here. But try to catch the scene.

The disciples are gathered together for the Passover meal with Jesus. There is tension in the room because they all sense that the tide of public opinion is turning against Jesus. They are fearful of the future and uncertain when/if Jesus is ever going to display His power, rescue Israel, subjugate the Romans, and bring in the kingdom. In the midst of all this tension, they have entered the room with dirty feet. It was customary in that time to have a servant present to wash people’s feet as they entered for a meal. No servant was present and the disciples figured they would ignore this social custom. But Jesus sees it as an opportunity to show His love and teach His disciples another lesson on servanthood.

Men don’t like to be humbled. Like I said yesterday in the message, men value strength. So the thought of getting on your knees and washing the feet of other men was not something that would ever enter their minds. It was “below” them. To a group of men frequently arguing over who was the greatest, this would be the ultimate sign of weakness and humiliation. So Jesus gets up and washes their feet to say, in effect, that man’s fight for the top should be replaced by a humble pursuit for the bottom. Instead of wanting to be king with other people serving us, we should strive to be servants making others feel like kings.

“Whoa, whoa, wait a second.” That’s what Peter is thinking. “I am not going to allow You to lower Yourself to that level, Jesus. It’s embarrassing.” Notice that Peter doesn’t volunteer to wash everyone’s feet, he just wants to make sure that Jesus doesn’t do it.

This kind of servant spirit and action is not in our nature. There is only one way that we can come to it. Look again at verses 3-4. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Jesus could be a servant before men because He knew who He was before God. Only security in my identity before God can give me vulnerability in my identity before men. Our fight for man’s honor reveals our lack of trust in God’s honor.

So loving others really does begin with being fully loved by God. When I am filled with His love and secure in Him, then I can get on my knees and wash the feet of others without worrying about public opinion.

Lord, I have a long way to go. And when I think I’ve gotten a little farther down the road, simple incidents remind me that I still have a lot of pride and that I lack a servant’s heart. Remind me of Your love for me today. Help me to soak in Your grace. Stretch my mind to fathom Who You are. And then give me Your heart to care about people, Your eyes to see the needs around me, and Your hands to try to meet them.

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Spirit-Filled Families

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Steve Foster

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4)

In instructing households, Paul begins with husbands and wives (5:22-33). The marriage relationship forms the backbone of the family. The stability of the marriage bond will inevitably impact the stability of the family. As someone has said, “The best gift that parents can give their children is a good marriage between themselves.” And a good marriage is built when wives and husbands both subjugate their own wills to meet the deepest need of the other. Since a man’s heart desires to be respected, then the wife shows love to her husband by supporting him, cheering him on, and submitting to his leadership. And since a woman’s heart desires to be loved, then the husband shows love to his wife by cherishing her, honoring her, and demonstrating his willingness to lay down his life for her.

In Ephesians 6:1-4, Paul turns to the relationship of children and parents.

As a parent, I desire to be appreciated by my children. That to me is at the heart of honor. A grateful child will understand my heart, sense my love, trust me, and obey me. Obedience is better than disobedience. But we all know that children can obey on the outside and be angry on the inside (e.g., the older brother in the prodigal son story). The idea of honor is that the obedience comes from a heart of humility and gratitude. Even as adults, we can model this by showing honor to our own parents through appreciation and respect.

We can also help our children honor us by fulfilling our own responsibility toward them. Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Paul specifically addresses fathers since they are to take the lead in the home; however, I think Paul’s words apply to both fathers and mothers.

As parents, we are called to shepherd our children, to instruct them, to guide them, to give them life skills, to teach them about God, and to model godliness before them. And we must do this without “exasperating” them. The Greek word, parorgizo, means “to provoke to anger or to stir up bitterness or frustration.” How do we do that? My own observation is that we provoke our children when we speak harshly, attack, criticize, blame them for our bad moods, and demand more from them than we are willing to do in our own lives.

Bottom line, the family is the proving ground of our faith. A 19th century American pastor named T.D. Talmage once said, “Home is a mighty test of character. What you are at home you are everywhere, whether you demonstrate it or not.”

Whoa. We all need to do our own heart check, don’t we? The ironic thing about Paul’s words in Ephesians 5-6 is that we often focus more on the responsibilities of the other person than we do on our own. Wives complain that their husbands don’t love them. Husbands complain that their wives don’t respect them. Children complain that their parents are unfair. And parents complain that their children are ungrateful. Instead, Paul addresses each of us and says, “Focus on your own responsibility and leave the heart of the other person in God’s hands.”

Lord, help me to be faithful as a husband and as a father. May my wife know that she is #1 in my life and that my eyes and heart are focused on her. May my children know that I love the Lord, love their mom, and want the best for them. May they see it in my actions and hear it in the tone of my voice.

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