Be intentional

Luke 10: 38-42-   Mary/ Martha/ Intentional Faith Development

Adapted as part of a study/sermon series from Robert Schnese’s “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations”

The story of Mary and Martha is a familiar one.  Most of us can relate to one or the other and it seemed appropriate to use for a discussion on Intentional Faith Development because of its focus on balance.  Mary and Martha are not polar opposites.  Jesus is not telling us that Mary is better than Martha but is telling us that there is a time for service and there is a time for learning. It is about discovering balance.

We are no strangers to the call for a work-life balance.  We know that people whose life focus is on work struggle to maintain personal relationships and often burn out at work.  We know, at least in principle the importance of balancing our work with personal time off with family and friends. 

Our spiritual life is no different.  Balance is important.  If we only spend time in prayer and study it is hard to get the work of Christ done in this world but at the same time if we spend all of our time in service we soon forget why and whom we serve.  Service quickly becomes habit, a way to get personal approval, and sometimes an escape from facing our own spiritual deficits.  We need balance.  Without personal faith development and service combined, life becomes more about us and less about Christ. 

 Living in this world does require work and there are times when things just need to get done.  However, it is easy to get so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget to slow down, take time to learn, recharge our batteries and strengthen our relationship with Christ. 

 Without an intentional study and prayer life it is easy to get discouraged by the happenings in this life and easy to start focusing on what we want instead of listening for the direction and will of God. 

The life of Jesus is important on many levels his teachings and who he was is enough to deserve awe and wonder but his willingness to sacrifice his life for our sake is only part of the story.  The way he lived his life is an example for all of us to imitate. 

When it comes to intentional faith development the life of Jesus and the disciples is a great role model.  The example and ministry of Jesus took many forms and teaches us the importance of balance between doing the work of God and growing spiritually.  Jesus is seen repeatedly listening to the rabbis, reading scripture in the synagogue, and discussing scripture with others.  At times he is teaching and preaching in the temple while other times he is on a hillside or on a street corner.  He teaches multitudes of people sometimes, but often he is having discussions one on one with a stranger or in a small private gathering with his closest friends.  His willingness to teach and the disciples to learn is not confined to one place or time but each moment is used as a teachable one.   

This life of Jesus was a busy one of teaching, listening, healing, traveling but even Jesus Christ couldn’t keep up that pace of life without spending time alone with God.  Jesus not only preaches and teaches; he spends time alone in prayer as well.  We see Jesus leave the multitudes of people to go into the garden to pray or walk through the hills of Jerusalem to be alone with God listening to the will of God and gaining strength for the next step in his ministry.

Jesus needed to recharge his batteries and needed to gain perspective on life from a distance.  We are no different from Jesus in this way.  We, like Martha, often get so caught up in the busyness of daily living that we lose sight of the reason for living.  Also like Martha, we begin to believe that our way of living is the best way, the only way and we struggle to see the world from other people’s perspectives and our lives begin to fill with anxiety as we stress over the actions and inactions of others. 

Intentional Faith development takes many forms as it did in the life of Jesus.  We need corporate worship- coming together to fellowship, sing hymns, hear the word of God proclaimed. We need personal study, prayer and meditation; time alone with God when we can apply the Word to our lives and quietly listen for the will of God while we recharge our spiritual batteries. 

Maybe this seems to daunting for you.  It is hard to know where to start or how much to read.  Maybe you need a daily reading guide or a daily devotional to guide the process.  Maybe it is just a matter of writing it into your schedule or setting an alarm to remind you to spend time in prayer. 

Sunday School classes, weekly Bible study groups and group discussion is vitally important.  By nature, we often think we are right and the way we read something is correct.  We need small group Bible study to dig deeper into the word and to help correct our assumptions about the teaching and will of God.  It helps us to hold one another accountable for the way we impose our own personal bias into our reading.  One of the most common heard phrases in group Bible study is – hum- I never thought of it that way and wow- I have read that story many times but never realized what Jesus was trying to say there.  It often takes shared opinions and discussion to really work out the meaning of scripture.

Even the early disciples who knew and learned directly from Jesus came together to discern the will of God and to offer direction, encouragement and make decisions for the church.  No one person has a monopoly on knowing exactly what God would have us to do- even Peter and Paul needed others to help guide their thoughts and hold them accountable when they strayed.

We need public and personal prayer to help discern the will of God for the church, the community and to direct our actions in the world.    This is also a way to encourage and validate one another, lift one another up in prayer, and share in personal struggles and successes. 

Prayer and study help remind us what is important, lower anxiety and once we have recharged and refocused our lives on the will of God and the love of Christ it will be much easier and fruitful to enter into the world of service and the busyness of doing life.  There are opportunities in this church for Intentional Faith Development.  We have Sunday School classes, a week day Bible study and more opportunities will be coming soon.  It is never too late to join a group.  This church always has a daily devotional available for people to take home with them.  And today you are getting a reading guide to take home. 

My challenge to you is to start a new habit of prayer and study.  It is never a waste of time, the vacuuming and mowing can wait 10 minutes and your life will be richer and blessed because of it.

Spend even just a few minutes alone with Christ each day.  Refocus and recharge your spiritual batteries.  Stress and anxiety will decrease; life will seem a little less daunting and it will be easier to hear the will of God for your life.   Christ came to this world as a living example for us; to show us the true meaning of love and sacrifice.  Even on the cross we see his focus and determination to do the will of God.  Let us gain strength and encouragement from Christ as we strive to serve him in this world.