One of the most humble statements that I have heard in recent years was from a self-confessed “babe” in Christ: “Just about everyone I meet new to Christianity wants to be a pastor or an evangelist. It seems that everybody today feels called to the ministry for some great purpose, few simply want to sit at the feet of Jesus or wait upon others in their need.”
Focused Upon the Lord
Luke 10:38-4238Now 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. 39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38‑42)—Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, focused upon her Lord and all that He had for her of Himself; Martha was distracted. It was not because of the need of her service that was the distraction, but by Martha’s service taking her focus off of the Lord in all she felt was necessary to be done.
To be “cumbered about much serving” (KJV) is for a believer to be in their own way—and that of the Lord’s in what “good part” He would have for us at the time. It is to be distracted, anxious, even agitated in thought as to everything a believer sees as being necessary for them to do, or to where (or, what) they feel their faith should be (“thou art careful [merimnao, 3309] and troubled [turbazo, 5182] about many things”). As such, we keep ourselves from our presence before the Lord in being dependent upon Him in seeking His mind and will for us.
Instead of our focus being upon Him, at our place at His feet in prayer, worship and learning, we obsess over our work and service as being what’s important. Some of us even to imply that without OUR service, the Lord would somehow be held-up or prevented in His will and purpose towards others. In contrast to this however, of the Greek word turbazo previously noted, is the idea in context of disturbing or disrupting what truly the Lord would have had done at the time.
True, what actually needs to be done must be done: a believer cannot say “be warm and filled,” to someone who has neither clothing nor food and ignore providing for their needs. But the purpose in helping others is not simply for the need of the service or work performed, but of the love of Christ and in testimony to Him according to His mind and heart. It is to be Christ’s love and will working through us and not simply to be that of a task performed and our own identity therewith (Jas. 2:14-2614What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:14‑26); John 15:22Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)).
In the Lord’s Presence But Not Listening
Through certain examples we are given of various failures among the disciples within the Gospels, we have a resounding lesson: they were in the Lord’s presence, but often without fully seeking the Lord’s will and mind with the patience to either listen or wait. They often were abrupt, even brash, in their assumptions as to what it was to be concerning the Lord, His ministry, and their place within it (Mark 8:27-38; 10:35-4527And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:27‑38)
35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. 36And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? 37They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. 38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: 40But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared. 41And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John. 42But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:35‑45); Luke 9:51-5651And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 52And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:51‑56)).
The twelve disciples had all been chosen and called out from the others (the seventy). Even among the twelve, there were yet three called out for an even greater revelation of their Lord. They enjoyed a place of privilege and closeness greater than that of the other disciples at the time. Yet, even in the closeness and privilege held, they fared no better in standing against Satan when their eyes were turned from the Lord back onto themselves and all that they either thought as to their own ministry or what they desired for themselves. Yes, they are beloved of the Lord and of all the saints which have since lived; but they were also men, given both through their strengths and their weaknesses as an example for us from whom to learn. They were men, who were each in his own way at one time or another, until the Lord brought them away to Him in a more personal manner (Mark 6:30, 37-44, 47-52; 8:1-9, 14-21; 9:2-8, 17-29, 33-4230And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. (Mark 6:30)
37He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? 38He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42And they did all eat, and were filled. 43And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 44And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. (Mark 6:37‑44)
47And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 49But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: 50For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 51And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. (Mark 6:47‑52)
1In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away. (Mark 8:1‑9)
14Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? 18Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? 19When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. 20And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. 21And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand? (Mark 8:14‑21)
2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. (Mark 9:2‑8)
17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:17‑29)
33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40For he that is not against us is on our part. 41For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. (Mark 9:33‑42); John 13:6-11; 21:3-216Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. (John 13:6‑11)
3Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. 8And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. 10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. 11Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. 15So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? (John 21:3‑21)).
Old Man Saul – New Man Paul
But there is another example as well: an apostle whom some may or may not think of in this context.
“Circumcised the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness of the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:5-65Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:5‑6)).
Saul was one in his own way; busy about doing what he felt was necessary to be within God’s will. “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they be men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-21And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1‑2)) —in the Apostle’s own words:
“I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly [enraged] against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
“Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest” (Acts 26:9-159I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. 12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. 14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Acts 26:9‑15)).
Christ called Saul to be a new man, Paul: called him out from his own way and made him to be the Apostle to the Nations. All that Saul thought was necessary to be done had kept him from the truth of what actually was needed, until Jesus Himself intervened and created a new man in him—Paul.
This may seem an extreme comparison to some, as Saul was a non-believer at the time that he had persecuted Jesus. But are we not acting in the same vein when we go along under our own willful desire in insisting upon what we feel called to or that which we seek of our own interests? It is not necessarily that we don’t pray enough for the Lord’s will or guidance over something, but it is our actual need to wait upon Him for His direction in order to be certain that what we seek is of Him.
Saul was “blameless” as to the righteousness of the law that he was able to ‘touch’. Yet it was neither God’s righteousness nor life, but his own, in operating under the assumption of being within God’s will in what he thought was right. It was all of Saul. His heritage had given him claim to all of God’s promises, God’s Word, and accordingly, what Saul thought was God’s will in persecuting the church in his own understanding of the Scriptures.
Because he was not in communion with God, however, not simply in failing to seek His direction, but in not heeding His word of prophecy in the coming Messiah and His purposes, Saul was acting fully within his flesh and for his own glory (Rom. 9:4-54Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:4‑5); Gal. 1:13-1413For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. (Galatians 1:13‑14); Phil. 3:44Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: (Philippians 3:4)). Sadly, there are many yet walking about in the same spirit and haughtiness of Saul.
The Rich Young Ruler: The Necessity of Self-renunciation
There are even certain similarities with this to that of the rich young ruler, however, but in a different context and with a different result—drawing from the account given in Mark’s Gospel (10:17-22).
Just because we may be owned of Him, or that of some portion of our service be recognized, does not mean that it is either of His mind or heart for us what it is we seek. This is the same as to our way in going about to accomplish it. In considering the rich young ruler, that though he was thoroughly searched in what was true as to his observance of the law, he still was found lacking as to what was truly necessary to be within the mind and will of God. Yes, he was as the unsaved at the time of this meeting, but there is more for us here, and that an important lesson for us.
There are those things naturally occurring within a person’s ability that are rightfully recognized and commendable in their place, and the same is true of any necessary service one can accomplish in His name—no matter how simple or small it may seem. In part, the rich young ruler was not lacking in the keeping of the commandments as given by the Lord (Mark 9:38-41; 10:1938And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40For he that is not against us is on our part. 41For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mark 9:38‑41)
19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother. (Mark 10:19)).
That the Lord “looked upon him, and loved him,” is not a simple thing to dismiss. It is that He “searched him thoroughly,” as only He could, and in love knew the things he had answered as true. However, to lose sight of the eternal weight of things, whether for us in witnessing that of the gospel, or in the purpose of the ministry and service which is rendered, there is danger to both ourselves and that of the soul of another.
Unlike Paul, who fully submitted to the Lord’s glory, the rich young ruler turned back in sorrow. Though he was once certain that he would be able within himself to do all that Jesus would require of him, he was turned about in refusal of the necessity of self-renunciation that only comes about in holding ourselves crucified in Him. The young man was righteous in himself and held all that he possessed as his witness to that fact—it was, in short, the man’s very identity. Jesus sought for him the righteousness of God, and his identity as being found in Him. This is at the heart of waiting upon Him. It is the heart in fully recognizing His purchase of us, and more, the intimacy of the relationship we are now in and our responsibility to Him. It is that we are one in the Beloved.
Wanting His Will to Be Our Will
When we already know that we are out of communion with the Lord due to sin, it is a simple matter of our conscience in testimony against us which brings us before the Father in confession and ownership of the grace we have been given in our presence before Him in Christ. But it is not simply in the application of His Word to our conscience, it must also be of application within our emotions and our desires. Without this latter application, we can often become blinded to the truth of what we seek.
Sometimes when we want something so desperately to be His will and we are unable to see how it could not be otherwise, we often find ourselves blinded to what His true will is. This is most often due to our desire being greater than our patience and willingness to wait until a definitive answer comes. It is not so much as a blatantly open sin, but more so offensive as a hidden one of an impatient spirit or of a selfish intent.
When our proposed willingness to accept that His answer may actually be in the negative becomes eclipsed by the joy we would feel over what good we believe would come if our prayer was affirmed according to our desire, we often end up in haste in operation in the flesh as to our desire. Self becomes the ruling factor in our decision: our place before Him in waiting is sacrificed for immediate gratification.
Even if the service or ministry would be a blessing to those it is directly towards, as Martha’s in making dinner, it could be at the cost of something greater for all. It is truly of a presumptuous spirit to think that simply by presenting something in prayer, we then have the right to act along a course we would have chosen for ourselves anyway, as being of the Lord’s mind for us.
Yes, there is great liberty in service on behalf of our merciful Savior. We are to wait however, even perhaps bringing the question before Him as to if what we are seeking the answer to is of our flesh and personal desire, or if it is what He would truly have of and for us. We must know Him through His Word and in tune with His Spirit in the revelation thereof, in worship, prayer, and in thankfulness in dependence and praise, then faithfully act as to the mind He gives.
How We Wait Upon Him
Christ has our purpose and is our life. We cannot minister to others in truth and of genuine purpose without at the same time being before our Lord seeking His mind and His heart in everything we do. It is meant for us of a continual presence before Him even in the midst of the service or work performed. In other words, it is a relationship of submission and dependence, with lives of progression in the purity of our walk in direct relation to our increasing apprehension (understanding and possession) of our place before Him at all times—as even in the heavenlies at this present time and place (Eph. 2:4-64But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:4‑6); Col. 3:1-31If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1‑3)).
It is at His feet and in His presence (in the closet, at His table, among the saints, or in ambassadorial service), where we learn in privilege from Jesus of all which He is, who He is, and all that He has already done and will yet accomplish. It is how we wait upon Him. In personal worship, prayer, praise and thankfulness, in study of His Word, in fellowship, worship and study within His family, the greater our fellowship and desire is to be like Him. All of which we are and have becomes focused on Jesus. The ministry that He would have of us, both within His body and in the world around us, is then more fully of His design, and of His use and purpose.
“That Good Part”
That Mary had chosen “that good part” which would not be taken from her, is not just as to her place at that time. It is also in regards to both the testimony she would later have and the love for which she served Him, even in not running to her brother’s grave, but to be before Jesus, at His feet in her sorrow and in full expression of her confidence and dependence in and upon her Lord. Mary looked not to herself, neither what she had or thought to do. She patiently looked for and to her Lord: she waited upon Him.
Too many people have the idea that some form of professional ministry automatically outweighs, or is more important than simply living a life of faith. However, the most powerful and practical ministry that one can have is how they live daily before others as before the Lord. In truth, there is no genuine good to any form of ministry where the Lord has neither gone before, nor where the life of the person in ministry contradicts the truths we are supposed to uphold. As many have said before, “Preach the Gospel! If necessary, use words.”
Let us be consumed with our Lord, continually walking in His presence throughout the day with a heart of worship and thankfulness, and a will instant in prayer to discover and to hold His will in action to His desire in what He alone would give as necessary in our lives. Let us receive of Him all which He has for us to know and do. Even more, to be within His presence in love for the privilege of drawing near to the One who has given His all to bring us unto Himself and our Father.
If it becomes necessary that a reproof is given by Him to correct us upon our path, whether as the still, small voice as to Elijah, “What doest thou here?” or, as a gentle statement in witness as to Jonah, “Doest thou well to be angry?” or even of the Glory that met Saul along the path of further destruction, let us not answer with our own interests at heart, but with a heart for Christ as which was formed in Paul, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”