Spurgeon: January PM
* 01/24/PM
"Martha was cumbered about much serving."
--Luke 10:40
Her fault was not that she served : the condition of a
servant well becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the
motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was
it her fault that she had " much serving." We cannot do too
much. Let us do all that we possibly can; let head, and heart,
and hands, be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault
of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master.
Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of entertaining so blessed
a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to throw her whole
soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was that she
grew " cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot Him ,
and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override
communion, and so presented one duty stained with the blood of
another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do
much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this
we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune.
Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the Amalekites; but
Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two helpers
to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the
sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to
rear: the most heavenly graces are the most difficult to
cultivate. Beloved, while we do not neglect external things,
which are good enough in themselves, we ought also to see to it
that we enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it
that sitting at the Saviour's feet is not neglected, even though
it be under the specious pretext of doing Him service. The first
thing for our soul's health, the first thing for His glory, and
the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep ourselves in
perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that the
vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above
everything else in the world.