No Substitute for Worship

Luke’s Gospel tells the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha frantically worked in the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus, while Mary sat at His feet and drank in His every word. Martha became frustrated because she felt overworked, and she demanded that Jesus send Mary to help her.

But Jesus said, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42 NLT).

He was saying, in effect, “Martha, you’re too busy! Take a cue from your sister. She has chosen the better part.”

Mary knew what was important. She knew there was a time for work and a time for worship.

But quite often as Christians, we can be like Martha, frantically working instead of sitting at Jesus’ feet.

Psalm 91 tells us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (verse 1 nlt). In the original language, the word used here for “live” speaks of quiet, resting, and remaining with consistency.

Essentially, this verse is telling us that God wants fellowship with us. He wants us to come close to Him, to be near Him, and to remain consistently in His presence.

Sometimes we are so busy doing Christian things with Christian people in the Christian church that we forget about Christ. And then one day, we suddenly realize that we’re overwhelmed. We feel burned out.

Are you living in the shelter of the Most High? There’s a time for work, of course. However, the best work will always overflow from a life of worship. At the same time, work can never take the place of worship.

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