I was told a story about an older gentleman whose daughter had cooked him some cornbread and brought it to him still in the cast iron skillet. To repay his daughter for her kind act he decided to clean her cast iron skillet. Many of you just cringed right there, but it gets worse. He didn’t just wash it. No he saw how black it was so he took his wire grinder and made that thing shine like it was brand new. He just knew she would be happy. Well, she was not. She cried when she saw it and he just couldn’t understand why. I mean after all he was doing a good thing for her. For those of you that don’t understand this, call your Grandparents or Parents they can explain. Sometimes just because it’s a good thing doesn’t mean it’s the right thing.
Martha did this very thing.
Luke 10:38-42 ISV 38 Now as they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and kept listening to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was worrying about all the things she had to do, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, you do care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself, don’t you? Then tell her to help me.” 41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things. 42 But there’s only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her.”
Martha invited Jesus and His disciples into her home. Well as the hostess she felt compelled to feed everyone and tend to them. I mean that’s a good thing. Most of us would say that’s the right thing. It was not the right thing though. She had Jesus in her living room and she was in the kitchen. She had the creator of the world in her home and she was trying to feed everyone. When instead she should have been being fed spiritually by Jesus.
You see sometimes we get so busy doing things for God that we forget to spend time with God. We must be careful lest we be like Samson and not even know that God has left us. We can get in our rhythm of doing things and be in autopilot and not spend any time at His feet. We can be doing good things. I mean not sinning, but busy working to help others. Yet all the while not giving ourselves to prayer. Not studying the Word of God. Not seeking after Jesus. We think we are doing the right thing.
Proverbs 14:12 KJV There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
We have to make sure what we are doing is right in God’s eyes not ours. Otherwise we can find ourselves headed away from God. Then we will burn out thinking, “I was doing everything right. I was going to church, teaching Sunday school, giving, helping others.” All the while we were never talking to Jesus. This ends in death. Spend time at the feet of Jesus. Make sure you’re doing the right thing and not just a good thing.
Deu 6:18 KJV And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee…
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