Learn To Rest
“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” Luke 10:41
On the subject of entering God’s rest, Watchman Nee said, “Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors, they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” Luke 10:40 is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.”
Now that Martha has been in Heaven for more than 2000 years, we can only wonder how she feels about being an example of distraction and carnality, and to what extent it’s possible to move away from that kind of activity into a place of rest and peace and relationship as we serve the Lord.
We now have the opportunity to discover and practice the kind of rest and abiding in Christ that Watchman Nee recommends here. All of us have experienced “spiritual” activity which is distracted, performance based, and undoubtedly less fruitful and effectual than it could be. But it does not always have to be so!
The Lord Jesus would not have rebuked Martha if He didn’t hope and expect her to learn from His admonition.
There is no question that we can learn a more mature way of serving. Mary has shown us the way, let’s learn it. Sit at His feet, quietly, attentively, and learn of Him.
Entering deeply into His rest will change the way you work, and by resting well, we improve the quality of our work and even multiply our time. We give, He adds. We divide, He multiplies. We rest, and because of our abiding, He works.