Luke 10:38

The Bible says in Luke 10:38-42, “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

We see a similarity between Martha and Mary, and we also see a difference. They were sisters. They were both believers in Jesus. Jesus was in their house to visit them both. Martha was worried and troubled and anxious and upset. Mary was tranquil and at peace with herself and with the world around her. Jesus described Martha and He said to her, “Thou art careful and troubled about many things.” Jesus said that Martha was “careful.” The same word is found in Philippians 4:6 that says to all believers, “Be careful for nothing,” and in Matthew 6:31 that says, “Take no thought saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or with what shall we be clothed?” All of these verses are talking about worry, care, and anxiety. Inwardly Martha was full of anxious thoughts.

Thoughts result in actions. Jesus said she was careful and troubled. Inwardly she was anxious and worried, outwardly she was noisy and complaining. Martha complained to Jesus, and she probably complained to Mary also. Jesus said that Martha was troubled. The same word that is used to describe Martha as troubled is also found in Acts 17:5 and is translated “uproar” where it says, “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar.” Oftentimes those who cause turmoil in the world around them do so because of their own inner turmoil.

We see the problems that Martha had, and we also see the solution in the person of Mary for the problems caused by anxiety and worry. Mary had a different priority than Martha. Mary made sure that she took the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear his word. There are twenty-four hours in each day, and you only have so much time for all of the things that you might do. If you are not watchful, the busy affairs of life will keep you from what Jesus called “that good part.” Notice that Jesus said in Luke 10:42 that Mary “hath chosen” that good part. Each day you make choices about what you will do with your time. If all of your choices are made the way that Martha made hers, then you will see the same results. On the other hand, if you make some choices the way that Mary did, to spend some time with Jesus and His Word, then you will reap the good results of doing so.

In the Christian life it’s very important to spend the proper amount of time on a daily basis with the Lord and His Word. The Word of God is alive and powerful. The Bible is a spiritual book, and from it you will find spiritual resources to strengthen your soul and build up your faith. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” In addition to the Word of God it’s also important to have the proper amount of prayer in your daily life. Concerning prayer, the Bible says in Luke 11:1-4. “And it came to pass, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus prayed. Jesus was our Savior, but He was also the example of the perfect human life. Human beings were meant to have fellowship with God. If you do not have communion with God through prayer, then you do not know what life is all about. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. The first thing that Jesus told them was a reminder of who they were praying to. Jesus said, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” God is our heavenly father who loves us and cares for us. He is heavenly. He is above this earth, which signifies the greatness of His power. These thoughts give us great confidence as we pray. We have confidence that He loves us, that He is interested in our well-being because He is our Father, and that He is more than able to answer our prayers and to provide for us and to take care of us.

Jesus told us to pray, “Hallowed be thy name.” The word “hallowed” means holy. When we think of God’s name, it should always represent for us who He is and what He is all about. We should think of God’s attributes, not the least of which is His holiness. There are some people on the earth who do not honor or respect the name of God, but those who pray should always be those who honor His name.

Jesus told us to pray, “Thy kingdom come.” When we talk to God and when we look up to God, we naturally think of His kingdom. There are many things about the kingdom of God that are better than the kingdoms of this world. The kingdom of God is a permanent kingdom. All of the kingdoms of this world are temporary. Every kingdom of man has eventually passed away. There is no death or disease or poverty in the kingdom of God, and there is no sin. Most of the worst problems of this world will not be solved until the Kingdom of God and of Christ is established. Those who love God look forward to the day when the great promises of God concerning His kingdom are finally fulfilled. Hebrewa 11:10 says about Abraham, “He looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Jesus said that we should express the same kinds of desires to God in prayer.

Jesus also said that we should pray, “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” We hope for the kingdom of God, but until it comes, we have responsibilities in this world. The best way to fulfill our responsibilities on this earth is to try and do things according to God’s will. What gets a lot of people in trouble is trying to do things according to their own will. The will of man is too often in opposition to the will of God. The stubborn will of man is one of the strongest forces on this earth. Blessed and wise is the person who can look to God and say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Your prayers will mostly be in vain unless you can honestly pray for God’s will. We can ask God for anything, but we must always qualify it by asking for His will and not our will.

Jesus told us to pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” In reality we depend upon God for everything. We thank God especially for the most basic things because the basic things are the requirements of life, and God is both the giver and sustainer of life. Learn to be thankful for all things. Try to never take things for granted. Look on the good side and find a reason to be thankful. Jesus said to be thankful for our “daily bread.” We are reminded to trust in God one day at a time and to live one day at a time. We should not worry about the future knowing that God has promised to provide for us each day.

In prayer we ask God for material things, but we also ask for spiritual things. Perhaps the most important spiritual thing to ask God for is found in Luke 11:4 when Jesus said to ask God, “Forgive us our sins.” Everyone sins, and everyone needs forgiveness. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing and a good thing. You need to know that you are forgiven and you need to know that the sins that you have committed are not held against you. That’s the wonderful message of the gospel. Jesus has the power to forgive sins. Jesus came into the world to die for sinners so that we could be forgiven.

We need to be forgiven by God, and we also need to be forgiven by each other. As a matter of fact, Jesus seemed to indicate that our own forgiveness from God is somehow tied to our own willingness to forgive people who have wronged us. Jesus told us to pray, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” The world would be a much better place over night if people learned to forgive. If you depend upon the mercy of God, how can you be so quick to take revenge on those who have wronged you? If you have faith, you should be able to trust that God will do the right thing. After all, He is the Judge. He knows what needs to happen in each person’s life. No one is going to get away with anything. God knows how to deal with it, and He is dealing with it in His own way, which is much better than your way. What’s important for you is that you do not hurt yourself spiritually by not being willing or able to forgive.

When we pray, we ask God to forgive us, but we must ask Him sincerely. We are only sincere about it if it’s truly our goal to do the right thing next time. The Christian life has a very high standard set for it: all of the teachings of Christ and the example that He gave. One thing is for sure: we cannot do it without God’s help. Therefore, Jesus told us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation.” God has the power to lead us on a path that will take us away from temptation. First Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Some people fall because they give up, thinking there is no escape. That’s not true, but they will fall if they rely upon their own strength. Do not ever think that you are strong enough on your own. Every person needs God. Without relying on Him, you are doomed to fail. Jesus said that it is one of the things that we must make sure that we pray about. We must depend upon God to lead us out of temptation.

There is an important practical lesson to note from the need to pray that God would lead us out of temptation. Notice that Jesus did not tell us to pray that we would be strong enough to resist temptation, but only to pray that God would lead us out of the place of temptation. You will go a long way to avoiding some of the excesses of human nature simply by avoiding places and situations where you know you will be tempted. For example, a recovering alcoholic perhaps should not stop at the local tavern to buy a newspaper. There may be a better place to get a newspaper where there is less of a chance that he will be tempted in an area of possible weakness. We do what we can at the same time that we are praying to God about it.

Jesus said we should also pray and ask God to “deliver us from evil.” Literally we could translate this as “deliver us from the evil one.” There is a spiritual warfare going on in the world. There is a contest between good and evil. The forces of evil have the devil as their leader. The devil is “the evil one.” In the devil’s opposition to God, he wants to keep you from serving God, and he wants to cause you to fall. The devil is your greatest enemy. By telling us to pray for deliverance from the evil one, Jesus is telling us to recognize the fact of this spiritual warfare and to recognize that the victory can be ours but only if we trust in God. The devil is stronger than we are, but the Almighty is of course stronger than the devil. When the spiritual warfare is written about in Ephesians chapter 6, it makes the same emphasis. Ephesians 6: 10-12 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The devil is crafty and the devil is powerful, but as long as we do what Jesus said and put our trust in God, we will be kept safe by the power of God.

This teaching of Jesus to pray to the Father and to ask to be delivered from the evil one lets us know that the spiritual victory over evil is partly due to what we desire. If we desire deliverance enough so that we go to God in prayer and ask for it, then we shall be delivered. This is consistent with the scripture that says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Don’t underestimate the power of your will and your ability to say “no,” as long as your will is associated with trusting in God for help.

Jesus is a wonderful Savior. He provides for our needs. He forgives us of our sins. He teaches us to pray, and He delivers us from the evil one.

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