Devotion Over Duty: Lessons from Mary and Martha

God we want to be taught by you today I want to be taught by you will you reveal stuff to me even as I'm speaking our hearts are open we want to be changed we don't want to become puffed up with knowledge but transformed to be more like Jesus thank you Lord okay so Luke chapter 10 verse 38 as Jesus and his disciples were on their way he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. [01:01:32]

Mary sat where at the Lord's feet listen listening do you remember for those of you who were here a few weeks ago we looked at um ananas and Safar and the the bit in Acts 5 and just before then we talked about the uh the people the church as it was at the time um they sold houses properties whatever else and they came and laid it where at his feet where did Mary sit at his feet it's this it's this act of submission and adoration and devotion and she just wanted to sit at his feet and listen. [01:05:51]

I'm talking about a heart posture but it reflects in the physical posture if Jesus is sat let's assume they had chairs just for a minute like they had chairs like we have chairs Jesus is sat in a chair here and Jesus has come to my house and I grab a chair and sit at the chair in the chair I've I feel like I've just placed myself on the on the same level I I I want to declare to my own heart and to the spiritual realm no I'm at his feet I want to be at his feet. [01:07:59]

Mary she is way more interested in Jesus than she is in the outcome for her brother you missed that Mary's posture says I am more interested in you Jesus than I am in the outcome how many times can I honestly ly say that when I hear a bad report there's stuff going on that I am more interested in Jesus than I am in what I need or want him to do for me it's a beautiful thing. [01:17:44]

One of the beautiful things that this made available for Mary is in the midst of her turmoil over the loss of her brother she could offer Jesus fresh worship from a place of Brokenness isn't that a beautiful thing she could have just said why why did you not why were you not here why why this why that why my brother I mean what you even loved him what's he ever done for you no no no no no no no no it just wouldn't have got her anywhere but instead she she saw the opportunity what does this make available I can still Worship in this space. [01:20:59]

Mary took a pint of pure nard we know about nard from this weekend an expensive perfume and she poured it on jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume but one of his disciples Judas es scariot who was later to betray him objected why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor it was worth a year wages he didn't say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. [01:24:34]

Mary I believe because of her repeated posture before Jesus she knew to anoint him for his burial before the disciples even did and do you know partly I can't promise you this is why but I think this is why is because God shares his Intimate Secrets with worshippers that repeated posture that we see and my guess is it wasn't only twice that Mary fell at Jesus his feet or sat at his feet it was a repeated posture so she knew she knew to anoint him. [01:26:48]

She went for his feet blessed are those who were poor in spirit she went for his feet again do you know whose job it is it's a servant's job to clean the feet she put herself in that position she recognized she knew she was consumed by who Jesus was and the only response was to fall down repeatedly at his feet it was a servant's job to do that. [01:28:49]

You never need to defend extravagant worship ever whatever that looks like whether it's singing whether it's dancing or whether it's washing jesus' feet or someone else's feet and everything in between you never need to apologize for extravagant worship it lights up Heaven absolutely lights up heaven and Jesus then steps in and he says leave her alone right now there's a beautiful thing going on they would have been reclined his feet would have been behind him can you imagine that moment for Jesus. [01:30:12]

I think Mary was one of those people who if you just mentioned the name of Jesus she would well up because she let herself be captivated by him and you got to let it happen it's not an automatic thing as Nicola says go slow go low father we sense your invitation into that place where our lives are one of adopting the posture of laying ourselves at your feet of sitting at your feet of looking up into your eyes not because I'm not entitled to sit on a chair but because I want my physical body to represent what's going on in my heart. [01:33:10]

Will you help me God to go lower will you help me not to consider the cost of my expensive jar of perfume but just to see you thank you God we are done let it please go on record I have finished a minute early the king is here um if you have children upstairs please do go and grab them and thank the leaders up there God bless everyone have a fantastic week. [01:36:17]

I think Mary was one of those people who if you just mentioned the name of Jesus she would well up because she let herself be captivated by him and you got to let it happen it's not an automatic thing as Nicola says go slow go low father we sense your invitation into that place where our lives are one of adopting the posture of laying ourselves at your feet of sitting at your feet of looking up into your eyes not because I'm not entitled to sit on a chair but because I want my physical body to represent what's going on in my heart. [01:33:10]