We All Need a Good Governor

A governor, often referred to as a speed limiter, is designed to prevent a vehicle from accelerating beyond a certain speed. It achieves this by monitoring the vehicles speed througha connection to the speed sensor. The device is often used on go-carts or golf-carts to keep them from going too fast.

Sometimes I think that we as human beings need governors. We can live life in too big of a hurry. And as the holidays are just right around the corner, we are reminded of that busyness is not only a detriment to our health and happiness.

The stress statistics in the US reveal a significant and growing concern for mental health and well-being. Here are some key findings:

75% of U.S. adults feel their stress levels have increased over the past five years. (American Institute of Stress)

83% of U.S. workers experience work-related stress (American Institute of Stress).

75% of Americans experience significant daily stress (Ibid.)

66% of adults report money-related stress as a major source of stress (APA).

We all need a good governor, something to limit our anxiety and hurriedness.

Is there a correlation between the amount of stress in our lives and our need for God?

Well, I think so. It is easy to tell people that they need more of Lord in their lives. and that is the truth. Many in our country believed that, but a recent poll shows that “Fewer than half of Americans now say religion is an important part of their daily lives, a 17 percentage point drop since 2015.

Could it be that we are numb to the very thing that would relieve us of the stress we encounter.

Luke 10 contains an account of misplaced priorities. It is uniquely sandwiched between the parable of the Good Samaritan on one end, and the teaching on the Lord’s Prayer on the other.

New Testament scholar I. Howard Marshall, points out that this is no mistake. That it’s actually the teaching on the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor, followed by the greatest commandment, to love God. The story of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha illustrates our need for “listening to Jesus as the teacher of the word of God.”

In it, Jesus identifies the most important thing in life, and corrects the sister of Lazarus, Martha. Like Lazarus, Martha is a friend to Jesus. But Jesus is a better friend to Martha, as He is not afraid to lovingly correct her and show her what life’s most important thing is.

This is a word to all of us “Type A” personalities; those that are influenced by lists and agendas and like to get things done. The Oxford definition: “…a personality type characterized by ambition, high energy, and competitive-ness, and thought to be susceptible to stress and heart disease.” Those that are driven by accomplishment.

There is no glory in being a work-a-holic.

I was witnessing to a friend once who had an aha moment after he underwent extensive surgery that threatened his life. He admitted; “I worked too much.” He regretted it.

Verse 38 tells us that Jesus and His disciples were on their way to another place. Whether Jesus was alone or with the twelve, we are not sure. By this time, He had grown in popularity, so He had a following wherever He went.

Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus are from Bethany, which is only two miles from Jerusalem. You may remember Lazarus as being particularly close to Jesus. In John 11:21-26, Lazarus has died and Martha is the one who comes out to meet Jesus on the occasion of His greatest miracle. She says:

John 11:21–26 ESV

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She is the first person to hear those words that have served as comfort and strength to millions since its recording.

Back to this dinner engagement. There was much to do. And Martha is having to do it all, or at least that is how she feels. The New King James says that she was: “…distracted with much serving….” We don’t know if her preparations were warranted.

If you had 12 hungry men coming to your home, you may be compelled to serve them something. Hospitality was important in first-century Middle Eastern culture, as it is today.

And so Martha is running around, being consumed by the details and demands of preparing a meal for Jesus and His/their friends. But she forgets who’s in the living room!

Marshall adds:

“Martha, as the hostess, was distracted from listening by her preparations for a meal, and Jesus’ lesson to her was that she had allowed her preparations to become too burdensome; she wished to honour him with an elaborate meal, but it was more important to listen to him.”

Do you seek to do great things for God, at the sacrifice of listening to Him?

When is the last time you opened up your Bible? Are you in a Bible study with other believers? One of the things I would like to see in our church is that our Sunday School classes would be Bible studies designed to mature you in your faith- those from which you come away knowing something awesome about God and enlightening about yourself, or perhaps discovering something in greater detail in the Scriptures and being able to apply them to your life.

Small groups are designed to facilitate life: Study of the Scriptures, a place for evangelism. A group that fosters service. And an outlet for pastoral care and support. All of these are important components to a church’s spiritual life.

Mary, on the other hand is seated at the Lord’s feet, hanging on every word that comes out of Jesus’ mouth. Sitting at the feet of the teacher was the normal posture for students with their rabbis. One commentator notes:

“Mary knew that listening to Jesus was an extraordinary opportunity, to be given preference over other concerns.”

Also of note is that Luke makes mention of women as disciples of the Lord. Within Luke there is special attention given to outcasts and the marginalized. That is why we see those who are otherwise neglected, coming to faith in Jesus- like Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Mary and Martha are students of Christ!

But someone greater is in the living room! Jesus encouraged women to study the Scriptures. Jesus says to her in Luke 10:41-42

Luke 10:41–42 ESV

41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Martha is “anxious about many things.” Anxiety can grip our lives and paralyze us. Consider the following occurrences.

In Luke 8:14, in the Parable of the Sower, the cares and concerns of this world choke out the seed which is the word of God. If not contained, worry can control you!

Luke 8:14 ESV

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Jesus reminds us that He takes care of His own. Full stop. In Luke 12:22:

Luke 12:22 ESV

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

Philippians 4:6 we are told: “Be anxious for nothing, but pray….” Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. You can let the details and the demands of the day affect your joy and happiness.

Philippians 4:6 ESV

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

You might be driven by fear. Psalm 56:3

Psalm 56:3 ESV

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

“What if this happens?”

What if that happens?”

What if I lose my job?

What if my spouse leaves me?

What if I cannot provide for my family?

What if I do not survive this diagnosis?

All of these are things that can steal your joy and rob you of your peace. There is very little of which you are in control; but all things are under His control.

But the answer to Martha’s anxiety is found right in front of her. Mary has chosen “the good portion.” God is to be our portion in this life, the source of our peace, wisdom and grace. Our greatest possession is a close fellowship with the Lord.

Psalm 16:5: “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.”

Psalm 73:26: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

The Hebrew there is

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) 4987 מְנָת

מְנָת (menāṯ) 63.12 portion, lot, i.e., an assigned share of something, in contrast to a whole (

The Lord is meant to be our portion, our inheritance, He who is the source of our life. The best things in life are not things. This passage also speaks of priorities with God, but also with others. What is the most important thing in your life?

I. Howard Marshall states:

“The good thing is to be understood as the teaching of Jesus, or perhaps the blessings of the kingdom to which it testified.”

In a day where there are so many distractions around us, let us be reminded of those things that really matter: Your walk with God; your relationships with others; and your understanding of self.

CONCLUSION

We should all be like Mary. And yet we find that we live life like Martha. It is a matter of priorities. Because we can be so well-intentioned, but in the end if our greatest intentions are in fact our biggest obstacles, then we’re still missing the mark.

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away. As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb, sobbing. "What's wrong, honey?" "I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me. I'll buy you a rose." He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother's flowers. As they were leaving he noticed the girl walking cross the street to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother's house.

Priorities. Oh the blessing of a timely reminder: God first; relationships second; self last. Let us pray.