Your Choice Indeed Matters!

'' Luke 11 : 38 - 42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But 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 had left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! ''
''Martha, Martha,'' the Lord answered , '' 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.'' ''

As we see here, Martha was the one who opened her home to Jesus and his disciples.

But her mind was on the preparations she has to make.

On the other hand, Mary, when she saw the Lord, sat at his feet to listen to what he will say.

Mary's heart was on the words of the Lord.

Martha's heart was on the arrangements.

Jesus here declared that what Mary chose is what is needed and it will not be taken away from her.

This means, Martha's choice of activities to serve the Lord are certainly not the Lord's requirement.

She is surely bound to lose the toil she is going to put in, because of the choice of the things she made - though she was putting her efforts for the Lord.

As we are meditating on these, let us ask ourselves - are our efforts to serve the Lord are in accord with the sound instruction of Jesus?

Are we sure to be reaped as a harvest by the angels of the Lord, or are we going to be gathered up as only weeds in the field:

Let us read this parable :

'' Matthew 13 : 24-30 Jesus told them another parable: ''The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But when everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appreared. The owner's servants came to him and said, ' Sir, didn't we sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied.'' The servants asked him, ' Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' ''

Dear people, when we receive the word of God, we ought to be careful to discern if what is being sown in us is the ''wheat seed'', meaning the right meaning and the right interpretation of the word, or a ''weed seed'', a false interpretation of the word.

Not everything in the wheat field is wheat!

As we read above, there will be weeds that spring up along with wheat.
And this is the work of the enemy.

If soil is considered the heart of a person, out of the person's heart comes out what is being sown in it.

When you are growing in the field of God, then at every choice of efforts you put in to serve God, you must be careful to check with the word of God and prayer, whether your choice will make you grow as a weed in the field of God or as the wheat.

Though Martha was thinking of making arrangements for Jesus and his disciples, Jesus commended Mary, to Martha.

But for Martha, she thinks she is very active and laborious in serving the Lord. And she wants Jesus to tell even Mary to go and help her.
Martha is in the same field as Mary.

Here we can clearly discern who would be considered as a weed and who, the wheat in the field of God, at the time of harvest.

'' Ecclesiastes 2 : 17, 18
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.''

Toil coming out of human wisdom is surely meaningless.

If we want our efforts to be recognized and rewarded, then we need to do what is just and right in the sight of God.

Let us now read about a person named Cornelius:

'' Acts 10 : 1-4 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said,

''Cornelius!''
Cornelius stared at him in fear.. ''What is it Lord?'' he asked.
The angel answered, ''Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.''

Lets move few verses ahead:
'' Acts 10 : 34 Then Peter began to speak: ''I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. ''

Cornelius was a Gentile.
And being a centurion is a big responsibility. He apparently had some 100 soldiers who report to him.

Yet, his worldly position of honor and his labor to serve in the Regiment is not what fetched him the favour of God.

And neither being a Gentile prevented him anyway from pleasing God.

God's eyes were on Cornelius only because of his fear of the Lord, and his prayers and devotion, and giving to the needy done out of reverence for the Lord.

These were right in the sight of God.

'' Psalm 33 : 18, 19 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. ''

And even in the case of Mary and Martha, when Mary chose to sit at the Lord's feet, Jesus declared that what Mary chose is what is ''needed''.
But not Martha's, though she too was putting her efforts for the Lord.

These clearly show that our efforts to serve the Lord must be approved in the sight of God.
When they are approved in the sight of God, its only then they will not be taken away from us. And we will receive our reward.

The word of God says that Cornelius' prayers and giving to the needy with God-fearing heart, have gone up to God as a memorial offering.
And therefore he was blessed with this heavenly encounter of an angel, (though he was a Gentile, for God doesn't show favouritism) and then if we read further we can understand how God's favour led apostle Peter to come to his house and have fellowship with him and his close friends and relatives that he called together.

Dear people of God, as the Spirit of God is speaking to us this hour, let us learn how important it is to do what is acceptable in the sight of God, when we put in our efforts to serve God.

We don't have to pour out toilsome efforts out of human wisdom and exhaust ourselves, thinking we are being very active in showing our love for God, presuming God will be pleased at our labor we are investing to do his work. And will approve all our toil and reward us.

People, our toilsome efforts to serve God, done in human wisdom will certainly not fetch us any blessings. Neither will they be approved in any manner.

'' 2 Corinthians 10 : 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. ''

Whatever we do must be in accord with what God wants of us.

One could be working as an active participant in church activities, or serving in a ministry, but none of the hard labour we invest out of human wisdom will please God, unless our efforts are in accord with what the Lord wants of us.

Had Cornelius given out of self righteousness, without the fear of God, his deeds certainly would not have gone up to to God as a memorial offering.

The aroma that went up to God, came from his heart that was filled with devotion and fear of the Lord.

When his heart was filled with the fear of the Lord, he knew what was right to do and what would please the Lord. For God certainly will be with those who fear him and guide them at every step, letting them know what He wants His children to do.

'' Proverbs 23 : 12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to the words of knowledge. ''

'' Psalm 34 : 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. ''

'' Psalm 34 : 19 , 20 A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. ''

It is ''righteousness'' that pleases God.

And it is ''righteousness'' that protects us from every trouble.
And our ''righteousness'' is Jesus Christ - the Living Word of God.

And this is the only one thing that is needed for us to please God and be approved in His sight!

When we make our choice of things to express our love and to serve God, what God looks at is, are we choosing His righteousness, or are we busily rushing here and there, exhausting ourselves thinking we are being really laborious when it comes to serving God!

Our choice of things, indeed matters!

May God grant us wisdom and understanding to discern what is approved in the sight of God, and to discern whether the kind of seed that is being sown in the soil of our hearts is truly the Word from our God.

Let us regularly pray for God's protection that we may be receptive only to the good seed and grow up only as a good crop in His field, and repel every weed seed that the enemy tries to sow secretly.

And pray that our choice of things for serving him will go upto him as a memorial offering, the aroma of which comes from the fear and devotion of our hearts for the Lord.

God Bless You.