Active Service and Quiet Devotion

Imagine a giant, 100-foot long see-saw which is perfectly horizontal. It does not lean to one side or the other. Now, you have a set of weights to put on each end of the see-saw. You have to put these weights on either side while keeping the see-saw perfectly balanced. Oh, did I tell you that none of the weights are the same size? How will you balance the see-saw?

Balance is a delicate task in life as well as in see-saws. Each of us has a tendency to do too much or too little in any given area. Our survey of the New Testament includes two passages which illustrate the need for balance in your spiritual life. On the one hand, you need to spend time alone with the LORD: meditating on His good word, praying, listening to His call, committing yourself anew to His Lordship. Quiet devotion such as this is necessary and important in God's kingdom. In fact, who you are is more important than what you do. On the other hand, you need to serve the LORD according to the gifts He has provided to you. Active service is necessary and important in God's kingdom. You cannot ignore the fact that God has called you into His kingdom to serve others. So both are necessary. Both are important.

Scripture Passage: Luke 10:25-42
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Main Thought: To live a life of impact in God's kingdom, you must learn to balance between active service and quiet devotion.

• Sometimes you need to put feet to your prayers. (Luke 10:25-37)
• The origin of Samaritans.
• The teacher of the Law's prejudice.
• Parable of the Good Samaritan.
• The dilemma of spirituality.
• The key of priority.
• Sometimes you just need to be with Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42)
• Issues of the heart.
• Does God really care?
• Choosing the good part.
• Finding the balance.

1. Sometimes you need to put feet to your prayers. (Luke 10:25-37)

The origin of Samaritans

After the glorious reign of King Solomon, Israel became a divided nation. The southern kingdom contained Jerusalem and the Temple of God. Occasionally, the southern kingdom had a godly king who would lead the people in righteousness. The northern kingdom never had a godly king. Consequently, God gave the northern kingdom into the hands of the Assyrians for judgment in 722 B.C. The Assyrians undertook a strategy to minimize any patriotism in their conquered lands by removing the citizens and replacing them with foreigners. As a result, the area of the northern kingdom became intermixed with Jews and people from many other countries. They intermarried and, over the course of time, became somewhat indistinguishable from the other countries. They were called "Samaritans" because of a city in this region called Samaria. Eventually, the whole region became known as Samaria.

The teacher of the Law's prejudice

Many of the Jewish people, particularly the religious leaders, looked at the people of Samaria as "half-breeds." They claimed Jewish ancestry but their intermarriage was unacceptable to the religious leaders because it was a violation of the Law. As a result, they hated the Samaritans even more than the Gentils from surrounding countries. When the southern kingdom fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the people of Judah were exiled for 70 years. Upon returning, they undertook a project to rebuild the Temple. The Samaritans offered to help but were refused as being "unclean." This created great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Samaritans then built their own temple for worship, which furthered angered the Jews. No "proper" Jew would have anything to do with a Samaritan. I'm sure the Samaritans felt the same way.

Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" 27 So he answered and said," 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 "Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' 36 "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" 37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:25-37, NKJV)

The dilemma of spirituality

The main point of this parable is that anyone in need is your neighbor. It does not matter who it is. You are to show mercy to anyone in need if it is in your power to do so. This resolved for the teacher of the Law the issue of how to respond to the "most important" of the commands in the Law. To love God was one thing; to love your neighbor who is good and kind is OK; but, for him, to stop and help someone who was ceremonially "unclean" was quite another story. What an embarrasment it must have been to hear that a Samaritan, a bitter enemy, was kind enough to help the wounded man! Who is the "unclean" person in your path today? Jesus reveals that when a need exists, no matter who it might be, the righteous way to act is to help when it is in your power to do so.

This ties into the balance needed for our Christian life. Active service in the LORD's name is expected and appropriate. This parable illustrates that clearly. In fact, the Apostle John agrees: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (I Jn 3:17-18, NIV). You must not get so consumed by church or spiritual pursuits that you forget to actually DO something constructive! As the pundit once punned it, "You need to put feet to your prayers!"

The key of priority

Now the priest and the Levite may have been engaged in some spiritual matter. It may have been very important. The key here to the question of effective service is PRIORITY. Set your priorities for active service according to your gifts and your calling in life. God has gifted you with spiritual gifts for specific things. If He has given you administrative abilities, then organize, plan, and implement events to the glory of God. But don't try to preach or teach God's word unless He has gifted you for that purpose! Use His gifts as they were intended for the service He has called you to perform.

Yet always be alert for special situations that arise in which you may be able to help. So when do you interrupt your service to stop and help someone else in need? Surely the urgency of the need must define the priority for responding to it. And helping others in need is a high priority as Jesus illustrated in this parable. And James points out: "The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father's point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord..." (James 1:27, TLB). Sometimes you need to put feet to your prayers.

2. Sometimes you just need to be with Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42)

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42, NKJV)

Issues of the heart

Jesus knew Mary's heart and Martha's as well. He understood the cares and the stresses of life that each experienced. In this home, he saw how Martha strived to put forth a good image, to be a good hostess, to be hospitable to the crowd of disciples who entered her home with the LORD. He understood that she saw the want, the need, the lack of certain things in the situation. He also saw Mary at her feet, longing to know the will of God, longing to draw closer to God, desperate to be strengthened and renewed. He knew her weariness of living with Martha who always had to be DOING something! There was never a quiet moment, never any planned downtime in Martha's home. Jesus saw what was going on inside Martha and Mary.

There was a cultural norm at work here too. Martha was trying to be hospitable to the guests and submissive to this cultural norm -- only men were taught by the Rabbi. Men were allowed to enter the inner court at the Temple while the women and the Gentile converts were kept at a distance. But Mary wanted to be with Jesus and rejected this cultural norm. She really wanted to spend time with Him. She needed Him more than she needed the acceptance of society.

Does God really care?

Martha's complaint was an accusation against the LORD rather than her sister. While she mentioned the deficiency she saw in her sister, she was clearly scolding our LORD publicly. "LORD, do You not care?" she exclaimed. Martha, caught up in her own worries about the circumstances, had let these worries interfere with her faith in God. Does God care? Oh, my YES! He cares enough to come to us, to reveal Himself and His will to us, to heal and comfort us, to grant us heavenly wisdom, to correct us and discipline our lives that we might enjoy the abundance He desires for us. God cares enough to send His only begotten Son into the world as a sacrifice for your sins. He does indeed care. Why did Martha question this truth? She let worry and trouble about many things cloud her mind, clog her beliefs, and keep her focused on her problems. And this in the very presence of the Creator of the universe! As Peter recorded, "casting all YOUR care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Pet 5:7, NKJV, emphasis mine). Refuse to let doubt, worry, and seemingly insurmountable problems enter you soul and cloud your faith.

Choosing the good part

"But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42, NKJV). Mary really was interested in spending time with Jesus. She already understood what Jesus later shared with His disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5, NKJV). Mary was abiding -- sitting at His feet and hearing His every word. Mary was preparing herself for later service. She understood that without this time of quiet devotion, her later service would be fruitless, empty, and hindered by the distractions of life.

Abraham Lincoln tells the story of the woodchopper's contest. Two men began the day chopping wood to see who could chop the most. One set off on a rapid pace and never let up. Amazingly, all day long he chopped wood. In the late afternoon when the contest ended, he was completely exhausted but had an impressive stack of wood. The other woodchopper took a break every hour and even stopped to eat lunch. At the end of the day, he had an even larger stack of wood. "How is this possible when you took so many breaks -- what did you do?" the first man asked. "At every break, I sharpened my axe."

What a powerful illustration this is of our need for quiet devotion with the LORD -- to sharpen our "spiritual" axe! This is what makes for effective service in the kingdom of God. Quiet devotion time with the LORD each day, preferably at the start of the day, will heighten your awareness of His presence, His power, and His purpose for your life. It will help you align yourself with His kingdom and His righteousness. (Matt. 6:33)

Mary also chose what was better (at the time). There is a time the active service that Martha desired but there is also a time for quiet devotion. Mary chose better than Martha. Matthew Henry notes, "Since Christ is forward to speak, we should be swift to hear." Jesus was there with them and was committed to discipling them -- Mary saw this as more important than preparing a huge meal. Jesus said that Mary chose the one good thing that was needed and it will not be taken away from her -- Mary chose what was good and better.

Finding the balance

I have often struggled to balance my time as a father, as a computer systems manager, as a Bible teacher, and as a Seminary student learning to preach and teach God's word. Once I met with Dr. Nelson Price to try to sort out the awesome conflicts in my schedule. Mainly I was finding it impossible to teach and study at Seminary at the same time. Both seemed to be good pursuits. He offered this wise counsel: "If you have to choose between two equally good things, choose the one with the greatest long-term benefit." Over time, I found it impossible to balance my time between all these things -- any one of them could consume all my available time. But I did find, in quiet devotion time with the LORD, that the LORD never calls you to do something that He doesn't also provide the time and resources to complete. I found that spending that time with Him, committing myself and whatever time I had to Him, I accomplished His goals.

Reflect on YOUR life: There is no better counsel that this for balancing your time and service: choose the path that Mary chose and your service in the LORD's name will become more focused and more effective. Choose to spend quiet devotional time with the LORD on a consistent basis. Sit at His feet and listen to His word. As St. Ignatius of Loyala (founder of the Jesuit Priesthood) once said: "Pray as though it all depended on God. Then work as though it all depended on you."

Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please send your e-mail to:
Email: ministryrequest1@WordTruth.Com
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Copyright 1999/2001, Randy Lariscy.