SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT FOR TODAY

 

Passage: 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.”

Memory Verse: Amos 8:11 (NIV).

“THE DAYS ARE COMING, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD, WHEN I WILL SEND A FAMINE THROUGH THE LAND-NOT A FAMINE OF FOOD OR THIRST FOR WATER BUT A FAMINE OF HEARING THE WORDS OF GOD.”

The world has been able to keep God’s people so busy that it sometimes becomes very difficult for Christians to study God’s word. The jobs and other schedules of many Christians make it very hard for us to study our Bibles even though we know it is very important. Some Christians fail to read their Bibles for months while spending all their time to look for money. In this edition of Spiritual Nourishment for Today we want to re-emphasize the need to prioritize the study of God’s word as Christians. Let us go through Luke 10:38-42.

Jesus as the Son of Man had no home for himself but God always prepared people to open their homes to him and his disciples. Anytime Jesus went to another town outside of his parents’ home God led him and his disciples to a place where they were warmly welcomed and well cared for. This should encourage believers that as we walk in His path, God will cause others to support us in ways beyond human imagination. Sometimes we think too much about our daily needs and become discouraged in our mission of doing God’s work. However the example of Jesus and his disciples should encourage us to remember that God equips and provides for all those he has called and sent. If we think about what to eat, what to wear and where to lay our heads, we shall not obey God’s command to go everywhere with the gospel; but if we trust the one who has sent us, He shall provide everything we need for the work.

Wherever Jesus went he taught God’s word, for that was the reason he came into the world. He knew that when the people hear the gospel and believe their lives would be transformed and they would begin to live as children of light. He therefore made it a duty to teach everywhere he went. Even when he was tired he squeezed time to teach those who wanted to listen to him. As a teacher he never deprived his listeners of the word which brings hope and eternal salvation. He taught in season and out of season because he knew the value of the spoken word. Unfortunately many preachers and teachers of God’s word invest very little in the study and teaching of God’s word. There are many people in the church of today who always want to teach but unwilling to study.

The question is how can you teach effectively if you do not study?

Paul admonished Timothy to work hard in order to show himself approved as a workman who does not need to be ashamed and rightly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This leads us to understand that if we do not become diligent in the study of God’s word we cannot rightly teach God’s word. It is therefore not surprising that there are many who are teaching all kinds of doctrines in churches, on radio, television, the print media, the social media etc. Those of us who teach should not merely become interested in teaching but teaching the word of truth which leads to eternal life. In that way our hearers would be blessed through our ministries.

As Jesus was teaching God’s word Martha was concerned more with what Jesus and his disciples would eat. He loved the Lord so much that he did not want Jesus and his disciples to sleep on empty stomachs after their hard day’s work. However, Mary, the younger of the two sisters, sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to him. She loved to listen to Jesus so much that she worried less about what to eat or what Jesus and his disciples would eat. She did not think about the physical hunger but the spiritual hunger. Instead of thinking about the food for the body, Mary invested in how to feed her soul. She did so because she knew it was a great privilege to encounter the Master and listen to him.

Unlike Mary, many believers of today invest heavily in the feeding of the body. Many believers spend all their time working in order to feed their families, pay fees, pay house rents or mortgages, buy cars, buy what to wear etc. which are not bad in themselves. Many believers of today do not make any attempts to have some quiet time with the LORD. This is a dangerous kind of life because if we invest in things which have no eternal value we shall regret our wrong actions and inactions.

We should remember God’s word which says that a time is coming when God’s word shall become a scarce commodity. A time will come when Bibles will not be available. A time will come when there will be no preachers of God’s word because of the hostile environment. This is the time for us to invest heavily in God’s word instead of the things which merely satisfy the desires of the flesh.

Jesus did not intend to say that he did not appreciate Martha’s efforts. He was only teaching us to always put the study of God’s word first on our agenda. Jesus is teaching us that we should never miss the opportunity of upgrading our knowledge in God’s word. We should always remember Colossians 3:16 which says:

“LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY AS YOU TEACH AND ADMONISH ONE ANOTHER WITH ALL WISDOM, AND AS YOU SING PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS WITH GRATITUDE IN YOUR HEARTS TO GOD.”

If we shall prioritize the study of God’s word in our lives it shall bring spiritual blessings to us even as we become channels of blessing unto others. May the LORD help us never to defer the opportunity to enrich ourselves through the study of His word on daily basis!

THE WORD OF THE LORD!

 

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Pastor Nana Kobina Baisie
Teacher/Pastor at Nadrim Mission International School, Busan, Korea.