28 Days of Gratitude: Day 16
Scripture of the Day: “Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!’" (Luke 10:40 GNT)
In a village called Bethany, Jesus was a houseguest at the home of his friends Mary and Martha. As Martha was busying herself with various duties, she started complaining about her sister Mary’s lack of assistance. Mary was happily seated at Jesus’ feet, and she was listening to His teaching. Feeling fed up and overlooked, Martha ordered Jesus to do something: “Tell her to come and help me!”
It’s funny to read about someone who seriously thought they could tell Jesus what to do. Sure, Martha and Jesus were friends and all, and He looked like the average man, but He was still God. And from His response, we see how well Martha’s attempt to boss God around worked out. The real boss of the house refused to be bossed and told Martha that her sister Mary was right, and she was wrong (vs. 41-42). Hearing Jesus’ words of life was far more important than all that other stuff Martha was focused on.
Imagine Martha’s shock and dismay! Of course, Scripture doesn’t tell us how she reacted, but she probably wasn’t very happy. Even so, Jesus was unmoved by her complaining, because He cared more about Martha’s spiritual growth than her natural comfort.
He feels the same way about you.
God is unfazed by complaints that arise from our need to have things go our way. He knows that every time we, like Martha, cry out for help, we don’t actually need it. Mary needed to hear Jesus’ teaching; Martha did not necessarily need help with her chores and other duties, although it would have been nice.
LESSON VS LESSEN
Lesson and lessen are homonyms—words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Lesson is something you teach, and lessen is something you do. Sometimes, we want God to do something when He desires to teach something.
We often complain and grumble when God doesn’t lessen (or reduce) our natural discomfort but fail to realize that He is teaching a lesson to increase our spiritual growth.
Divine lessons are blessings. They shift our perspective and eliminate many of our gripes that are rooted in lack of wisdom, carnal desires, and narrow vision. In our flesh, we cannot see what God sees or how He sees things. However, when we submit to Him and allow Him to teach a lesson, it will lessen our degree of ignorance, lessen our tendency to rely on our shortsighted perspective, and lessen our desire to have things our way.
Divine lessons tangibly improve our lives and increase our blessings. Instead of complaining, be grateful for the lessons, even if they do not immediately lessen the intensity of your discomfort.
THE BLESSING OF HIS PRESENCE
Someone once told me a story about a preacher he knew who professed to be a great man of faith but refused to fly in an airplane. Someone asked the preacher, “Sir, if you believe in God and trust Him, how is it that you are afraid to fly?”
The preacher responded, “I am not afraid son.” He then explained, “It’s just that, Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, ‘LO, I am with you always’— so I stay on the ground.”
I laughed so hard when I first heard that story, because that is not what that Scripture means!
Lo and low are also homonyms, and we know that “lo” in Scripture is a word that means look, behold, or see! In other words, Jesus said, “Behold, I am with you always.”
Friend, He is always there, whether you’re high or low, struggling or thriving, comfortable or uncomfortable. Knowing this, wouldn’t it be better to spend your time thanking Him for the blessing of His presence rather than complaining?
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Think about Martha. Jesus was her houseguest. What an honor, right?
Still, as awesome as it was to host Jesus, unfortunately, Martha couldn’t fully enjoy the blessing of His presence for focusing on her complaint. How differently do you think she would have behaved if she had really meditated on what a privilege it was to host the Messiah? This is the same Martha who told Jesus in John 11:27 that she believed He was the son of God. She knew exactly who He was!
Well, you know who He is too, and you are hosting the son of God daily. He lives within you. That means, He is there in the midst of every circumstance, no matter how rocky.
Keeping this in mind, here’s something to think about: when is the last time you thanked Him for being your houseguest? For gracing you with His presence? For sacrificing His life for you? For washing you in His blood and cleansing you from all your sins? For brand new mercies every morning? For interceding for you? For advocating for you? For loving you? For taking care of you?
If we all spent more time truly meditating on what a blessing it is to have Jesus, the resurrected Savior, in our house, we would be less distracted by our own trivial complaints.
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
Today, look back over your week, and think of ways that God has been good to you. Then, write down 5 things you are grateful for that happened this week.
Now, let’s pray.
God, I know that Your ways are not like mine, and You don’t always give me the kind of help I want or think I need. And yet, in all things, I trust that You know what is best for me. Please help me grow, so my desire for Your will is greater than my desire to have my way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
What Is the 28 Days of Gratitude Series Based On?
This gratitude series is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT, which says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
In my time spent with the Lord, He dealt with me about how we have a tendency to focus on our issues, problems, challenges, and difficulties, but we are not necessarily intentional about focusing on His goodness. Failing to meditate on His works forces us into a cycle of complaining and blinds us to the amazing ways He reveals Himself on a daily basis. In all circumstances, let us be more grateful.
What do I need to participate?
To participate in this series, you will need a notebook and a journal, because it requires writing some things down. In whatever journal you choose—and it doesn’t need to be anything fancy—daily, you will write down the Scripture of the day.
The featured verse will highlight a complaint from the Bible to help you see that, throughout history, others have struggled just as you do. Yet, God desires that we be grateful. In your journal, I would ask that you write the verse you see featured on the Daily Cup blog each morning, then jot down 5 things for which you are grateful.
5 is the number of grace, so you will be focusing on the grace of God and how His mercy has been evident in your life, even during rough times. At the end of each post, 5 suggested thing to write about are listed.
