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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Thursday, December 16. Luke 11:1-4.
Mary did, for she was too much taken up with service (cf. Mark 4:19). There are many women today, and men, too, who are so much taken up with their working and Vorrying for Jesus that they miss the priv ilege of hearing Jesus, Martha was occu pied for Jesus, Mary was occupied with Jesus. Martha was occupied with many things; Mary was occupied not with things, but with a person, and only one person. Martha was consequently “distracted” (v. 40 R. V. Marg.), but Mary was at rest. Many today are “distracted” “about much serving” of the Lord, instead of being at rest in the Lord Himself. Love prompted the service, but there was pride in it too.' The much service was unnecessary. Jesus did not desire the great dinner Martha was bustling about to prepare. What Jesus de sired just then was communion. But we are not to understand that Mary never served, though Martha hints that in her vexation. Indeed, at that very minute Mary was ministering more to Jesus’ real joy than was Martha. Martha’s words dis play irritation at Jesus as well as at Mary. “Dost Thou not care?” she heatedly asked. We, too, sometimes get cross with out Lord when distracted with our much serv ing. Martha accused Mary of selfishness, and revealed her own. Jesus did not re buke Mary or bid,her help Martha. He rebuked Martha, but, oh, how tenderly. Martha was “anxious and troubled about many things,” and our Lord,would have us anxious about nothing (Phil. 4:6). There was “but one thing needful,” that is to know the Lord Himself (John 17:3; cf. Ps. 27:4; 73:25; 1 Cor. 3:3). Mary had chosen the one needful thing, and “the good part” she had chosen should not be taken from her-, no matter how much Martha •might desire it. If we choose Jesus Himself we shall never lose what we choose (John 28:29; Rom. 8:35-39; 1 Peter 1:4-5). Martha had opened her door to Jesus, but Mary had opened her heart to Jesus. Jesus loved them both (John 11:5). Martha re membered the cravings of her Lord’s hunger, but forgot the, cravings of His Jove.
There is nothing regarding which we need teaching more than regarding prayer (Rom. 8:26; Jas. 14:3). None can teach us how to pray better than Jesus. It was hearing Him pray Himself that led the disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray. If we_ can only learn to pray as He.prayed, we shall have mastered the secret of pre vailing prayer (John 11:42). Jesus is just as ready to teach us today through His Holy Spirit, as He was to teach the dis ciples by word of mouth. We have com mented on the prayer our Lord taught His disciples, in our notes upon Matthew 6 , and shall not go into it at length again here. The prayer is not intended so much as a form of prayer as a model on which to form all prayer (Matt. 6 :9). The believer ought not to limit himself to this prayer (Phil. 4:6; JaS. 5:13, 14). Christian prayer is in the name of Christ; this is not men tioned here because Jesus was not yet cru cified (John 16:24; 14:13, 14). All true prayer, like this prayer, puts the hallowing of God’s name before all else (cf. John 17:1). All the rights of the finite race of men sink into nothing before the rights and glory of the infinite God. Next to the glory of God’s name comes the triumph of God’s kingdom, the establishment of God’s reign first in our own hearts, then in the hearts of others, then in open mani festation throughout the earth (cf. Isa. 2:2-5; Dan. 2:44; 7:27; Rev. 11:15; 19:6; 20:4). Before the Kingdom can come in its full manifestation, the King must come, and we do well to pray fo r the coming of the King, as well as the coming of the Kingdom (Rev. 22:20). If we really de sire God’s Kingdom to come we will first of all see to it that the kingdom is set up in our hearts, and then we will go earnestly to work to set it up in the hearts of others. The third petition indicates submission to the will of God (cf. Luke 22:42), delight jn performing the will of God (John 6:38; Eph. 6 : 6 ), sanctification in our own lives (1 Thess. 4:3), and the desire that the will of God be the law of all earth. The
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