Title: Two Hearts / Luke 10:38-42
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Luke 10:38-42, Deuteronomy 28:1-6
We are spending the Chuseok holiday. I pray that God's grace and blessings abound in your family. Originally, Chuseok came from the heart of finding the roots of life. It is the heart of regression. However, at the root of the heart of regression is the heart to seek God. And the heart of thanks and sharing is the heart of Chuseok. I bless you to become saints who can fully enjoy such faith and heart through this Lunar New Year.
It is Chuseok, but we want to share the word according to the words of Luke's Gospel.
Jesus came to visit the house of a sister named 'Martha'. Martha was so happy and delighted that she thought about how to treat Jesus, and she was busy making food with her poor household. There is only one Jesus in the text, but to Jesus, 12 disciples were always following him. Therefore, it must have been quite busy to treat such a large number of family members all of a sudden. As he walked back and forth with drops of sweat on the tip of his nose, he found his sister Mary sitting in front of Jesus and listening to the Word. Even though she knew she was busy, Martha became angry when she saw her sister sitting in front of Jesus. So I say to Jesus. 'Lord, don't you think that I let my sister work alone?' I usually thought that I should go and help my sister, but unexpectedly, Jesus praised Mary for choosing something better than Martha, who was busy with many things.
This story of Martha and Mary is a story we know well and is often quoted. Most of the time, I read this story with some dissatisfaction. I think it is because the Bible says it is, but the truth is, there are many times when I meet someone like Mary. There is an event at the church, and everyone else is working frantically, but if you come to the church to pray and then just leave, there is no way you will be welcomed. When that happens, don't we often think of the story of Mary and Martha? Who doesn't want to listen to the Word and pray, who wants to work like this, but if Jesus thinks that way, who works? So, does that mean that a man who is just washing his hands and praying is better than a man who faithfully works on a dirty job in the church? It comes to mind, etc. Yet, how is it that Jesus, speaking as if praising Mary, says that Mary has chosen what is good and that it will not be taken away from her? So, who is dedicated and serving?
However, these words contain the deep meaning of Jesus. There is no way that the good Jesus can praise you unconditionally just because he listens to you. Martha must have felt sad the moment she heard these words, but she must have known the deep will of the Lord and built herself up again in the form of a new faith. Martha and Maria, they are people of great faith who have no difference in loving and respecting Jesus. However, the Lord was trying to give a lesson about the fundamental attitude of faith that can lead to the path of faith that Jesus is pleased with.
We have two hearts in us. The heart of Mary and the heart of Martha. When Martha's heart comes to the fore, she is filled with complaints about her work. Be like Mary's heart. First, it is the faith of obedience, kneeling before the Lord. Then, no matter what we do, our complaints will disappear and we will be able to dedicate ourselves with gratitude. The true faith is not to entertain the Lord, but to kneel before the Lord first. Rather than complaining about serving the Lord for a small table, the faith that obeys the Word first is more beautiful faith.
Why was King Saul abandoned? In the war against the Amalekites, God commanded that all possessions, including not only humans but also animals, be completely destroyed during the war. But when Saul saw the good animals that Amalek had been raising, he became greedy. So they left the animals and brought them back. When the prophet Samuel asked why he did that, Saul answered that he would like to make a sacrifice to God. At that time, didn't Samuel's famous declaration come from here?
Obedience is better than sacrifice, and hearing is better than the fat of rams... 1 Samuel 15:22
And after this incident, God said that he had forsaken Saul. Why? I left it to give to God, so why was God not pleased? Because it is a form of disobedience. A person who disobeys cannot eventually give up the habit of disobedience. At first glance, he seems to be doing well with zeal, but God forsaken him because he has a heart of self-improvement, not of faith.
We must first have faith in the fear of God. First, you must become a person of obedience. Then the good fruits will open on their own. Be the faith that prayer precedes anything. Always be the faith of fear and trembling before God. Be the faith that always obeys the Word. Then God's blessings will enrich your life.
Jericho was the first city in Canaan, the land promised to the Israelites. How did you conquer Jericho? With the ark of God in front, they went around Jericho once every day. I did this according to God's command to not make a sound, not to speak a word from my mouth, and to turn around once a day. And at the dawn of the seventh day, on the seventh day, they circled seven times, and the priests sounded to the sound of the trumpets, and the people shouted, and the wall of Jericho fell. It was a great victory. It was a wonderful victory that God gave us when we obeyed the Word and went ahead with the ark.
The Israelites, intoxicated by this victory, face a great defeat at the second holy city of Ai. What's the difference? Ai Fortress is a small castle, so they sent only 3,000 soldiers to finish it, but they were defeated. Without prayer, without the trajectory of the law, we just went ahead and shouted that we can do it.
That is what we do without faith, and we do without prayer. The word must come first. Prayer must come first. Grace must precede. The loyalty that comes after that and the devotion that comes after that is beautiful. When you first become a person of faith, the action of faith comes out, when you first become a person of prayer, the work of grace is realized, and when you become a person of fear first, you become a fragrant loyalty. God is pleased with such a person, and He blesses such a person.
This principle should be applied to our personal beliefs, any gatherings in the church, class meetings, missions, and any church events. First, the fear of God, first committing my soul to the Word of God, first the confession of faith takes precedence, and then all the rest follows. Otherwise, it will be a gathering of faith on the outside but a different gathering on the inside.
A few days ago, while thinking about our youth, I had many thoughts. Why do young people who worked so hard during their youth group days change when they go to work and get married? Are those fervent beliefs fading away? I've been very busy at work, and it's stressful... That's what I thought. And on the one hand, nevertheless, I wondered if the passion of their youth was not fundamentally because of their faith in the fear of God and a clear change. In today's text, there was only Martha's heart, but it wasn't Mary's obedience and awe-inspiring faith. A thought lingered in my mind. I love young people. I think that way because I have high expectations for young people.
Jesus said.
...Every good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:17-18
The saying that good fruit comes from a good tree is that good devotion comes from good faith, and good deeds come from good character. If you have a good personality and good faith, good deeds will come naturally.
After knowing how to obey the Word and having faith to kneel in prayer, the devotion, service, and loyalty that come out of it will eventually become beautiful fruits. Martha's service is complete only when she has the heart of Mary. Martha is not alone and Mary is not alone. Martha may come out of me first, or Mary may come out first. If Martha's heart takes the lead, she will say that she is doing something with her own zeal without faith in awe, and she will eventually complain. However, if Mary's heart comes out first, she will be able to pray before work, listen to the word before my claims, and obey it, and even after working, she will only glorify God.
First, look to God. Please pray first. Please hold onto the word. At that time, I hope you will experience what kind of blessing God will give you. Please read all the blessings in the Bible. If you always obey the word of God first, all these blessings will be added to you. That's how it is. All the words of blessing are like that. One of them is found in Deuteronomy 28.
All these blessings will come upon you and come upon you, if you obey the word of the LORD your God.
You will be blessed in the city, and you will be blessed in the field.
Blessed shall be the children of your body, and the produce of your land, and the young of your beasts, and the offspring of oxen and sheep.
Your basket and your bowl of dough will be blessed.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:1-6
If you listen carefully to the word of the LORD your God and obey all his commands that I give you... In other words, if you have the faith of Mary...
Mary and Martha are not separated anywhere. It's in me. It's a matter of who comes first. May Mary always come forward. I pray and pray, obey and work, and I pray that you will have faith that holds on to the Word and moves forward. I pray that God's abundant grace and blessings will come to these blessed believers.
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