July 2008       Word of Life Ministries Newsletter

 St. Luke 10:38-42 Now 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. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus feet, and heard his word. 

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, doest thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?  Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Summer time is an exciting time when many things are going on. There are weddings, and graduations, picnics and vacations.  There's fishing, swimming, biking, boating, amusement parks and baseball games, and in between all of that the grass needs mown, the trees needs trimmed, the gutters need cleaned, the house needs painting, and the fence needs mending, and so many more things we would like get accomplished during the summer months.  Now try to cram all those things in along with everything else you have going on in your life,  that makes a very busy, busy schedule.

As the days grow longer, it seems we take on my duties, trying to accomplish everything that we want to get done.  We wake up early in the morning and we start by planning out our day.  We think about all the places that we have to go, and everything that we have to get done. There are dates set, and schedules made, and even down to the last minute there is still so much to do.  What about those famous to-do-list that we all have, that never seem to end?  I'll bet that your calendar is already marked up with things going on in the month of June.

The fact is we live in a fast paced society that tries to do a lot in a short amount of time.  We try to cram more and more in less and less time.   I think Martha was trying to do a lot of things at the same time that day as she prepared the meal for her honored guest.

Spending time with Christ is an "important part", and Jesus said a "needful part" in our life.   But it's the part that is often neglected by so many.  We rush around from place to place, trying to get everything accomplished.  And in the hustle and bustle of it all, we get "caught up" in the cares of this world.  And just like Martha, we become careful and troubled about by so many things.  We lose our joy.  We become resentful at those around us, and we start to murmur and complain about all the things that we have to do.

On that day that Mary and Martha received the Lord into their home, Jesus found Martha so burdened down with all she was doing.  She was too busy to stop and spend time with Him.  And I want us to think about our relationship with Christ today.  We too have invited the Lord to come and abide with us, yet I see a danger of life becoming so busy, and our lives becoming so cluttered by all that we have going on, that we cannot find the time to spend with Christ as we should.

Matthew 11:28-30  Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Many today have spent their lives pursuing and seeking after the material things of the world, instead of seeking after God.  They think that life consist in the abundance of the things that they possess.  Many have tried to buy happiness and contentment, only to find that it doesn't satisfy in the end.  The Bible asks, what does it profit a man if he were to gain the whole world, and loose his own soul?  And what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 

I wonder today, are there areas in our life that we have allowed to become so important to us, that we cannot find the time to spend with Christ.  Have we allowed those things to pull us into so many directions that we become distracted from our time with the Lord? 

If Jesus were to come to our house today, I wonder what things He would find.  Would we even open the door to Him, or we would go and hide?  Would we stop what we are doing and invite Him in?   Or I wonder would He find us so burdened and trouble about by all the things that we have going on, that we cannot even stop and sit with Him awhile?

Have we made room for Christ in our busy life today? 

Rev. James A. Lewis/Word of Life Ministry

  Hand in Hand Publications July 2008

It is my great privilege to welcome back to Hand in Hand Publications this month, Pastor Devin and Simla Rajiah, from the beautiful island of Mauritius.  Located in the Indian Ocean.  Pastor Devin and his wife pastor the Bambous Assembly of God church where they are experiencing the power and the moving of the Holy Spirit in fresh and exciting ways.