“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried.”  G. L. Chesterton

I met him at a youth camp this past summer.  The first thing I noticed about him was his overwhelming zeal.  Everything he did, he did with energy.  Every time he spoke (especially about the Lord), he was loud.  Every movement was impossible to ignore.  When he prayed, he shook heaven and inspired the people around him.  I knew if from the moment that I saw him.  There was a calling on his life.

God had his hand on Jonathan.  The Spirit of God had given him a boldness to say what he felt.  And somewhere along the way, he had developed a presence about him that made everybody listen with anticipation and watch in awe.

He was a leader among leaders.  At this particular camp he was more of a spiritual influence than many of the youth leaders, and he was only sixteen.  People went to him for counsel, and they approached him for prayer.

In some situations there even seemed to be mild cases of hero worship.  He drew more people in the cafeteria than anyone else.  People were flocking to him just to spend time with him because they respected his spiritual insight and his charismatic personality.

After having been at the camp for three days, I had begun to build a healthy relationship with Jonathan.  We started talking for a few minutes whenever we could between activities and services.  However, these five-minute sessions weren’t enough; he wanted more time with me.  I agreed to get up early on the fourth day of the camp and meet him inside the cafeteria for a heart to heart.

As I went to bed that night, I was praying for the young people at the camp.  That’s when my mind rested on Jonathan, and God began to give me a glimpse into his heart.

I saw him as a young man with pure motives.  However, something in his life was slightly backwards.  Jonathan loved to serve, but he was constantly giving of himself and not receiving anything from the Lord.  He was representing Christ to all of his peers, but he had forgotten to take time to know the one he was representing.

That night, I sensed a burden that God had for Jonathan.  The lord’s desire was not to keep pushing him into leadership roles and forcing him to serve constantly; God wanted to minister directly to Jonathan.  God wanted to comfort him and encourage him.  God’s desire was not to make sure Jonathan did a lot for the kingdom of God, his first desire was to spend time with his child.

I fell asleep with a burden on my heart for Jonathan, praying that he would be open to the words I needed to speak to him the next morning.

Morning came. I jumped out of my sleeping bag and got ready for my day.  Although a few hours had passed since I had been praying for Jonathan, I still had a very real sense that God wanted to draw his child into a more intimate relationship.  The time came for me to leave my cabin and walk to the cafeteria.  The entire way I prayed that the Lord would give me the words to speak to Jonathan, because I knew deep down that God’s heart was reaching out to this young man.

As I expected him to be, Jonathan was on time.  Joining him at the table that he already occupied, I told him I had been praying for him.  I began to share with him about the conversation I had with God the night before.  He was very open.

When I finished and asked him what he thought of what I had just said, he became very somber.  He quietly told me that he knew I was right.  He was running on empty spiritually and serving out of routine.  He was dry and he didn’t know how to tap into God’s presence that had once been so real to him.

As I talked with him for several minutes, I saw a young man who represented many young people I know.  Their burning desire is to make the Lord known.  They want to serve him.  They want their generation to know the incredible love that Jesus offers them, yet they have neglected getting to know him themselves.  There are many teenagers today who have wanted to “do for God,” but they have forgotten how to “be with him.”

In life, there is sometimes an order to things.  If you want to make God known, you must first get to know him yourself.  God’s desire is that you would spend time with him before you spend time serving him.  Jesus modeled this with his disciples even in the midst of a busy season of ministry.  He invited them saying, “Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).  He knew that in the hectic schedules of life, we can grow spiritually dry.  But in a vital relationship with our Creator we get refreshed.

God’s calling on your life is specific.  He formed you for a specific purpose (Jeremiah 29:11) and he knew you before you were formed (Psalm 139:13-16).  Your life has a destiny.  However, your first responsibility and the thing that will determine your success in term of serving God is how well you know him.

Mary and Martha

When Jesus came to her house, Martha was busy.  She was preparing the food, cleaning (so as to not be embarrassed), and doing the things that a good hostess should do.  Her motives were pure and her intentions honorable.  However, she neglected something very important.

Mary was not concerned with service; she was consumed by Jesus.  His teaching and his presence captivated her.  She gave her attention to every sentence that came from his mouth.  She knew that a time was coming when she would be serving him, but she didn’t want to miss a chance to sit at his feet and be with him.  She lived for these moments.

Martha and Mary were two sisters who both loved the Lord dearly yet took very different approaches to pleasing him.  One served while the other sat.  One prepared while the other listened.  One was hard at work trying to please him while the other was caught up with getting to know Jesus.

Martha was frustrated because she was falling behind.  (People whose only goal is to serve never seem to get caught up; they always see more that needs to be done.)  The bible says in verse 40 of chapter 10 of Luke that she was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.”  The word “distracted” indicates there was something more worthy of her attention than her chores.

However, Martha’s perspective was skewed.  She did not see the open spot on the floor right next to Jesus that he had reserved for her; she only saw the duties that she needed to perform.  She wanted sympathy, and she wanted help.

She asked Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work all by myself?  Tell her to help me!”

Jesus had noticed the energy that Martha was using to run around the house doing things, and he noticed her frustration.  But when she finally made her request, it gave him permission to show her a proper perspective.  “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (the italics are mine).

Jesus did not say serving was a wrong thing to do, but he longed to minister to Martha before she started serving.  He called her back to the right priorities.  “Only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better.”

That is where the story ends in Scripture, but in real life there had to be more.  In that moment and with those words, Jesus was not rebuking a servant; he was wooing a child of the Father.  He wasn’t going to crush her for serving, he was going to invite her to come, sit, and share.

I wonder what her response was.  Do you think she took him up on his offer?

I think she did, but I think it was difficult for her.  When you have a habit of serving, sitting is not easy for you.  However, it is the time you spend with your Lord that keeps you from getting frustrated in service and enables you to keep a good attitude and not burn out.  Once the Lord got her to sit down, I believe he had to teach her to concentrate on him and not on the food that was waiting in the kitchen.  He wanted Martha to know him, and then she would be called to serve him.

To Know Him and Make Him Known

Are you like Jonathan?  Do you see yourself in Martha?  Are you so concerned with what you are doing for the Lord that you are neglecting spending time with him?  Are you serving constantly?  Are your “sitting sessions” becoming more and more infrequent?

I pray that as you read this book, you will hear the Lord calling you to sit down at his feet and listen to him.  He wants you to know him.  Through these pages he wants to teach you how to build intimacy and find encouragement.  As he invites you to know him more intimately, you will discover his love and comfort.  In return, the relationship that you have with him will empower you to serve him more effectively.

Reality Check

·       Do you spend more time getting to know God or serving him?  Is this out of balance in your life?

·       Is God calling you into a more intimate walk with himself?  If so, how are you going to develop this?

·       Do you get frustrated in your walk with God?  What does the story about Martha teach you about frustration?

·       What obstacles prevent you from spending more time with God?

Father, I am so grateful that you want me to sit with you and listen to you.  I acknowledge my tendencies to neglect these times with you.  However, I ask that you would teach me just how to do that.  When I begin to get too preoccupied with things and I forget you are waiting for me to spend time with you, remind me.  If I begin to perform my faith to impress people, help me to get back to the basics and return to the place where you convince me how much you love me.   I need you more than anything else.  May I never forget that.  Amen.

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© 2002 by Sean Dunn