Run for More of Jesus, Not More Distractions

God crowns His people with confidence, not so they can chase a platform, but so they can walk in the authority and purpose He has given them. The call to run for more faces a world that is always saying, get more, do more, achieve more, gain more followers, more money, more success, more recognition. That kind of race never ends, because there will always be another opportunity, another promotion, another thing to buy, and another reason to feel behind.

Paul’s picture of runners chasing a prize presses a deeper question: what is the race actually for? Jesus calls His people to run for more of Him, not merely more activity around Him. John the Baptist shows that posture when his own disciples begin following Jesus. John does not compete for attention. John says, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” because the whole purpose of his life was to prepare people for Christ.

Martha and Mary bring that tension into everyday life. Martha opens her home to Jesus, serves Jesus, and works hard for Jesus. Martha is not distracted by sin or something evil. Martha is distracted by service, by something good that has slowly taken the place of what is best. Jesus lovingly says, “Martha, Martha,” and calls her back from being worried and upset about many things. Mary chooses what is better because Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens.

Mary’s posture stays the same in every season. Mary learns at His feet. Mary grieves at His feet when Lazarus dies. Mary worships at His feet when she pours out costly perfume. The feet of Jesus become the place for wisdom, confusion, disappointment, grief, joy, worship, and surrender. Before leading, God’s people need to sit. Before serving, they need to listen. Before pouring out, they need to receive. Before carrying everybody else, they need to let Jesus carry them.

Jesus does not measure a life by a packed schedule of church activity, Bible studies, groups, or serving. Jesus forms character in those who have been with Him. Families do not simply need everything a husband, wife, parent, or leader can do for them. Families need to see what happens when a heart has been shaped by Jesus: patience under pressure, humility when wrong, peace in frustration, and confidence to stand strong. The goal is not to get more Jesus into a schedule, but to get more of Jesus in a life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose what is better [01:24:32] Martha’s problem was not hospitality, excellence, or serving. Martha allowed a good thing to pull her away from the best thing, which was being present with Jesus. The pressure of responsibilities can make activity feel spiritual while the heart quietly becomes worried and upset. Jesus still calls distracted hearts back with tenderness. [84:32]
• 2. Run for more of Jesus [01:15:57] Success, influence, money, and recognition can all increase while the soul becomes empty. Jesus offers a different pursuit: more of His presence, His Word, His wisdom, His character, and His heart. A person can run fast and still be headed toward the wrong prize. The race becomes right when Christ Himself becomes the goal. [75:57]
• 3. Go to His feet every season [01:37:29] Mary learned, grieved, and worshiped at the same place: the feet of Jesus. Confusion does not need to become accusation, and grief does not need to become distance from God. Jesus receives honest questions from hearts that still come near. His presence becomes the right posture when life is good and when life hurts. [97:29]
• 4. Serving Jesus cannot replace being with Jesus [01:25:49] Ministry, work, family care, and leadership can all be good gifts, but none can sustain a soul apart from Christ. People can become busy doing things for Jesus while no longer making time to be with Jesus. The life that bears real fruit is not fueled by performance. The life that bears real fruit is filled up at His feet. [85:49]
• 5. Let Jesus shape what others see [01:41:48] Children, spouses, friends, and coworkers notice the life that has been with Jesus. They see it in humility, repentance, courage, peace, worship, and the way pressure is handled. Confidence grows when a person stops retreating into insecurity and stands in what God has spoken. Christ’s work within a life becomes a witness to the next generation.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [60:52] - Honoring the Women’s Conference Team
• [63:23] - Crowned With Confidence
• [65:02] - The World’s Race for More
• [68:52] - Distraction and the Busy Mind
• [74:08] - What Are You Running For?
• [76:24] - He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
• [79:53] - Martha and Mary
• [83:37] - Good Things and the Best Thing
• [89:38] - Strength to Sit at Jesus’ Feet
• [94:16] - Mary at His Feet in Every Season
• [99:20] - More of Jesus in Life
• [101:48] - Confidence for the Next Generation
• [104:50] - Prayer to Spend Time With Jesus

Bible Reading

Luke 10:38-42
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” [01:19:53]

John 3:30
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” [01:16:28]

1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” [01:15:20]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 10:38–42, what details show the different ways Martha and Mary respond to Jesus being in their home? [01:20:07]
2. What words does Jesus use to describe Martha’s inner condition, and what does He say Mary has chosen?
3. In John 3:30, what change does John the Baptist say must happen between himself and Jesus, and how does that fit John’s purpose of preparing people for Christ? [01:18:36]
4. According to 1 Corinthians 9:24, what does Paul’s picture of a race require runners to keep in view? [01:15:20]

Interpretation questions

1. Martha’s service was a good and necessary act of hospitality. Why does Jesus still identify Mary’s choice as “better”? What does this show about the difference between serving Jesus and being with Jesus? [01:23:45]
2. John the Baptist did not compete when people began following Jesus instead of him. What does “He must increase, but I must decrease” look like when a believer’s influence, recognition, or role begins to change? [01:18:18]
3. Paul calls believers to run in a way that gains the prize. How does making more of Jesus the goal change the way a believer views success, ambition, money, and opportunities? [01:15:57]
4. Mary came to Jesus’ feet to learn, to grieve, and to worship. What does her repeated posture suggest about bringing honest disappointment and confusion to Jesus? [01:36:56]

Application questions

1. What “more” has been competing most strongly for your attention lately—more achievement, financial security, recognition, activity, possessions, or something else? How might pursuing more of Jesus reshape that desire? [01:16:06]
2. What good responsibility in your life could become a distraction from what is best: work, parenting, ministry, caring for others, serving at church, or keeping up with daily demands? What are the warning signs that it is beginning to leave you worried and upset? [01:25:38]
3. What would it look like for you to sit at Jesus’ feet in a realistic and consistent way this week? Consider a specific time, place, Scripture reading practice, or way to limit distractions. [01:38:39]
4. In which season do you most struggle to come to Jesus—when you need wisdom, when life is painful, when you are disappointed, or when life is going well? What would it mean to bring that season honestly to Him rather than pulling away? [01:37:29]
5. How would your family, friends, coworkers, or small group notice if you had been spending more time with Jesus? What change in your patience, humility, peace, repentance, or confidence would be most meaningful to them? [01:32:19]
6. Is there an area where insecurity has caused you to retreat from a responsibility or opportunity God may be giving you? How can time with Jesus help you walk in humble confidence rather than seeking a platform or approval? [01:42:09]