Work or Worship?

SCRIPTURE: Luke 10: 38-42
Is it more important to breathe or to live? Right! In order to live we must breathe. In essence, breathing and living work hand-in-hand. It is a synergistic combination. You cannot have one without the other.That is the vantage point from which I view the account of Mary and Martha as they sought to prepare for the arrival of Jesus Christ to their home.

Which posture was best? Was it more important for Martha to work or for Mary to worship Him while Jesus was in their home? Yes! Both postures were good. We must do the work of the Kingdom. We must operate in the calling of God upon our lives; but, do we work so much that we never take the time to worship?

I do not look at worship as just singing a slow song that requires you and me to lift our hands. Rather, when I say worship, I am referring to praying, meditating on the word of God, singing, dancing before the Lord, glorifying Christ, and praising the Lord for who He is.

Now let’s make a clear observation about Martha and her work. What is disturbing about Martha is she did not know when to stop working and when to begin to worship. Do you know when it is time for you to pause from the work and begin to worship? Well, allow me to share some sure signs that it is time for a moment of worship in the midst of your doing the work of the Lord. If you find yourself slipping in the areas that you once had victory, then it’s time for you to pause and worship. If your attitude about the work becomes taxing rather than service to the Lord, then it is time for you to worship. When you are too busy to take the time to worship, then it is time for you to pause and really worship.

The fact is, unless we worship Christ we will ultimately become ineffective in working for Christ. We cannot have one without the other. Martha undoubtedly thought her work was more important. However, upon inquiring of Jesus He sets the record straight once and for all. Jesus gives Martha and so many of us the diagnoses of our lives. “Martha you are worried and distracted by many things.” That is really the issue! We are distracted by things, people, and situations and the thought of worshiping Christ barely crosses our minds.

Don’t get me wrong saints! We must do the work of the Lord, but we must also learn when to pause and worship. We cannot do one without the other. Will you join me in asking the Lord to help us all to learn when to pause from the work and enter into worship?

Father, we adore you with all of our hearts. We seek to do the work of the kingdom with excellence and dedication - all for your glory. Lord, help us to discern when it is time to pause from the work and begin to worship you with everything that is in us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.