So Worried and Troubled...

A few days ago, someone reminded me of the passage where Jesus says to Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” Luke 10:41–42. Many of us frequently act like Martha, and the most dangerous thing is that, in most cases, we drag our family along with us.

Without realizing it, we become people who will never be satisfied with what they do for God, because we have set very high goals for ourselves, and we should keep a few things in mind:

God does not place burdens on us; we burden ourselves to the point of exhaustion, wanting to do more and more things to please God, forgetting that there is nothing we can do to please Him, because everything has already been done by our Lord Jesus, and God makes that very clear to us in Ephesians 1:2–14

That is to say, according to His Word, we are blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, forgiven, heirs, partakers of His glory, and sealed with the Holy Spirit. Oh, my brothers and sisters, so worried and troubled, do we believe that anything more can be done? God has nothing left to give us; nothing we can do is greater than what we have already received.

When we want to know whether something we are doing is part of God’s plan, let us simply observe how it prospers; if it does not prosper, it is not a divine plan. We can fill our lives with plans to serve God, but if we are not in God’s plan, this will not move forward. Sometimes God is shouting to us that He has other, better plans for us, but with so much to do, we cannot hear Him.

If only we would devote some time to praying and listening, He would guide us, for that is precisely what He desires: that we seek His guidance.

Some churches today are plagued by false prophets and self-loving men who want the glory for themselves. We cannot fall into that; we must be humble as He was. These very people often become stumbling blocks for us, but they have done nothing to us that was not also done to Him. They did far worse things to Him, and He did not resist. We are not contentious people; we are here to pray for the imperfect brothers and sisters we have, and God is the One who will put everything in its proper place. Hebrews 10:30 “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again: ‘The Lord will judge His people.’”

Do not let your hearts be troubled, brothers and sisters. Ask God in prayer to reveal what He wants to use you for, and let Him guide you. There are things that God does not reveal clearly to us, but what is clear in the Bible is the Great Commission. Sometimes we want to do great works—such great works!—that we forget that what Christ commanded was simple and straightforward: preach the Gospel.