Housekeeping

When attending a church conference, seminar or retreat, where the budget doesn't allow for hired help to take care of setting up or cleaning up, it is necessary that the attendees work together to take care of those things.  Someone will usually get up one or more times during the event to let everyone know of the housekeeping needs that must be attended to.

However, could you imagine that while the keynote speaker was talking, attendees started getting up to move chairs, sweep the floors or set up tables instead of listening?  "Oh, sorry for the commotion, Dr Jones, we know you've got a lot to say about spiritual renewal but we've got these housekeeping chores..."  Really?

And, could you imagine a group of Protestants doing that if Billy Graham was the keynote speaker or a group of Catholics choosing to do housekeeping while the Pope was speaking?  Not hardly.  But, what if the keynote speaker was Jesus Christ himself?  Who would pass on hearing him speak to attend to housekeeping?  No one right?  Wrong!  Martha did.  And Marthas still do.''

In Luke 10:38ff, Martha goes about attending to housekeeping needs while Mary sits, listening at Jesus' feet.  Not only does Martha pass on the opportunity to sit and listen, she complains to Jesus that Mary isn't helping her out instead of listening.  Martha could not believe Mary's misplaced priorities.  They were the hosts, hospitality rules required they make preparations.

The things is though, physical needs really do not outweigh the spiritual ones.  As important as housekeeping might be, it pales next to hearing words of life.  Jesus realigns Martha's priorities in saying, "Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed---or indeed only one" (Lk 10:41-42).

The point for us is, in the middle of a life with so many demands, will we put housekeeping forever ahead of spending time with our Lord.  Do you ever say, "I just don't have time to study my Bible" or "I just can't work in a quiet time.""  Really?  In the 24 hours you have every day, there aren't any moments you could spend with God?  Is your housekeeping really that pressing, that important?  Jus' Ask'n.