Today, one of the toughest things to do is manage the media that your children are exposed to. Technology is not going away, so to just stick our heads in the sand and pretend that it will leave us is really not a realistic option for parents.
I have talked with several parents who allow their children unfiltered and unmonitored access to internet and e-mail and have yet to see it work out well for that spiritual well being of that child.
So let’s apply a few bible principles to this.
1) Training up a child involves restraint. Proverbs 22:6
That expression “train up” in proverbs means to “narrow by discipline”… we would never take our children to the center of New York City and let them go wherever they want to, because we understand the danger involved in that. Do we really think that we can open up children to texting, online video games, unfiltered internet browsing and other things without some restraint?
If you allow your children the privledges (not rights) of internet access or texting… put some limits on it… tell that child that you expect them to be responsible… and here comes the training part… CHECK ON THEM! Look at their phone… check their internet browsing history… some may say this is intrusive… but will you let your kids talk and be influenced by anyone? Or do you have limits?
2) Mary was devoted to the person….Martha was distracted by the process. 39a-40 If you notice something….and this is very obvious…the whole purpose for what they are doing here in this passage is because the Lord had come to visit them. This expression in verse 40 about “much” serving….gives us an indication that maybe Martha was going overboard…maybe she was preparing well beyond what they needed…yes they needed a meal, but something simple would have been sufficient….it seems that she was going beyond that….and I can understand that…you want everything to be perfect, if you are someone who expresses their love by serving, then there is a tendency to serve more….but Martha crosses the line and she makes the process of serving more important than the guest she is serving.
There are times in our lives when circumstances look overwhelming… they are seemingly insurmountable… we don’t know if we will overcome them, or they will overcome us.
The other is from a more heavenly perspective, and it looks very manageable. Can I suggest to you this morning that when the circumstances of life look like more than you canhandle… see which perspective you are looking at them from.
There is no doubt in my mind that there is a harvest of people who are in need of hearing the life changing message of Jesus Christ. The Lord in Matthew chapter 9:37 declared that “The harvest truly is plenteous”.
