Defeating confusion!

Uncertain of the future?  Who isn’t?  Financial markets are unpredictable. People who die too young.  Companies that look rock-solid go bankrupt. Tornadoes appear at the end of a day and blow a city apart. These surprises may cause us to become paralyzed with fear or confused about the course to take. That’s is why we need core values built on principles that are unchanging.  What is the organizing principle of your life?  We all have them, even if we are not aware of what they are or are unable to put them into words.

Is our goal to be happy?
Is it to enjoy life?
Is it to be admired by others?
Is it to gain wealth?
Is it to control others, to have power?
Is it to hang onto attractiveness or sex appeal?
Is it to discover the will of God?

Jesus knew and cared for a very busy woman who had allowed herself to lose sight of primary things. In her confusion, she was frustrated, angry, and wondering why others did not feel the urgency she felt. Jesus wisely challenged her to re-evaluate the organizing principle of her life.  This is Martha’s story. During one of Jesus’ visits to her home in Bethany, she set the household in motion to prepare dinner. In the middle of her efforts, she noticed her sister, Mary, sitting near Jesus, listening intently to Him. She exploded: “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits there listening to You while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” (Luke 10) Jesus’ answer was not at all what she expected. Instead of sending Mary to help, He challenged Martha’s idea of what was most important! He even commended Mary! "There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42, NLT)  Martha’s efforts over dinner were good, but they were not the most important things in life.  People who ate the meal she prepared would be hungry again tomorrow.  Mary was gaining wisdom, doing something of eternal value!

Confusion, fear, and anger will disappear when we get first things put back in first place.  Vision keeps us from allowing the tyranny of the urgent to push the truly important to the side. The unpredictable things of normal life will still show up on our front porch, but  we will remain on course if we know Who we serve and are secure in His promise.

Think about why you do what you do!  We can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. Martha’s dinner was one of those ‘right’ things.  There’s nothing wrong with preparing a great dinner. What did Martha do wrong? She invested too much importance in her roast lamb!  Security and self-esteem can never be found in such things.

Even religion will fail us if we lose sight of God in the process. Jesus pointed to the prayers, service, and giving of the Pharisees, commending their diligence while telling His disciples that it was all worthless.  How can that be? Their acts of worship were good things, but because they were done to gain people’s admiration their value was lost.  The Pharisee’s organizing principle was to do ‘holy stuff’ to prove how righteous they were. Holiness, which allows us to be intimate with a holy God, was being used for prideful purposes. The core was flawed and therefore their entire structure was wrong!

Ponder these words from the Word today. Ask yourself if pursuing Christ and His rule is ‘the one thing’ that organizes all the rest of your life.
"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ, … I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. … I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:8, 10, 12-14, NLT)
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I belong to a mighty God,
I belong to Jesus;
I'm guided by His staff and rod,
I belong to a mighty God.

I belong to the Holy One,
I belong to Jesus;
His work in me has just begun,
I belong to the Holy One.

I belong to the Lord of All,
I belong to Jesus;
I'll stand in Him and will not fall,
I belong to the Lord of All.

I am justified
By the good gift of the Lord;
And I will testify
That I belong to a mighty God,
I belong to a mighty God.

I Belong To A Mighty God
DeShazo, Lynn
© 1993 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055

(Vacation time!  CWTW will be back on July 3)