Several years ago I was captivated by the familiar passage in Luke 10:38 about Martha and Mary. So much so, the Lord has birthed a ministry through my life called At His Feet Ministries. I couldn't help but be drawn to this most interesting woman, Mary of Bethany. As I began to look at her life I noticed every time she was with Jesus she was always at the same place with the same posture, at His feet. . Let's take the scene we are all so familiar with from the Luke passage. Jesus has come to Mary and Martha's house, but Martha ends up doing, Mary ends up being. Think about this for a minute, God Almighty bothers to stop by your house and you run into the kitchen to cook! Here is the King of the Nations, the Creator of the Universe, the One who holds your next breath in His hands, and you run into the kitchen to be a chef! God is not looking for chefs, He is not looking for workers, and He isn't even looking for children. He is looking for worshippers (John 4:23), He is looking for a Bride. Jesus had in front of Him the 2 choices for a Bride, the Martha type who would work hard FOR Him, and the Mary type who would intimately love Him.

    We can get so caught up in the preparations (ministry) that we forget or leave out the Lord of the preparations. If that wasn't bad enough now Martha begins to complain about Mary. Service will always criticize devotion. She is now chastising the Savior, who would pour His life out for Martha. Many people that have walked with the Lord for a long time get angry with God when they see a lovesick heart for the Master in another believer. It so touches the Lords heart to receive worship from those who are swept off their feet by Him, that it can make a Martha downright angry! Notice in verse 41 Jesus says Martha's name twice. "Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things.' Three things came to mind as I thought about this. First, it means He loved Martha very much. Didn't He say to Peter, 'Simon, Simon Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.'?(Lu 22:31)? And in the same breath Jesus assured Peter that He had prayed for him, so his faith wouldn't fail him. You only pray and give assurance to someone you deeply care for and love when you know the sifting will be the denial of even knowing you.

    Secondly, it means He was giving her a strong rebuke, and wanted her attention. When would Jesus say 'Verily, verily'? When He wanted His listeners to pay attention because He was going to say something of the utmost importance. Thirdly, He had an awesome destiny for Martha that she was going to miss if she didn't learn to choose the 'better' thing. Remember His lament over the Holy City? Jerusalem, Jerusalem you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Jesus had more for Martha than a life of service, He wanted to gather her under His wing, but she would not let Him. Her service stood in the way of intimacy, and the same thing can happen to us.

    The next time we see Mary is in John 11:32. Her brother Lazarus has died and Jesus arrives four days after the fact. Martha runs to Jesus and reminds Him if He had been there earlier her brother wouldn't have died, and Jesus gives her a theology lesson (vs. 25). Mary sees Jesus and says the same thing to Him, but when she said it He was moved to tears (vs. 35) and His emotion moved Him to do a miracle! The difference was Mary was again at His feet (vs. 32), the place where your emotions affect His emotions. When you spend time pouring out the emotions of your heart over Him, He responds the same way and pours His over you. Martha got theology, Mary got a miracle.

    In Luke 8:43 a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the edge of His cloak and the bleeding stopped. In vs. 47 it says when Jesus acknowledged that power had left Him because of the unknown womans' faith, she came and fell at his feet. In Matthew 15:30 great crowds followed Jesus and the sick were laid at His feet. In that place of humility the healing power of Jesus was released and the sick were healed. In Revelation 1:17 John said when He saw Jesus he fell at His feet. What followed was one of the most incredible revelations which the Apostle John was privileged to receive and declare. So in addition to intimacy, being at His feet brings deliverance, healing and revelation. This my friends is the only place to be.

    The bigger our sphere of ministry becomes, the more we need to be at His feet. Song of Songs 8:5 talks about the Bride as she comes into maturity. This is the last chapter in the Song and we might think because it is her place of maturity she would be shown as a strong pillar or a mighty warrior. But nothing could be

    Further from the truth, it says 'Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved? The Brides friends no longer recognize her; He is the only one they can see because she has totally vanished into Him. She has lost all of herself and has to lean on Him for every step. She is the faceless bride, and this is Gods' idea of maturity to be desperately dependent on Jesus. The Father didn't promise His Son a hard worker for His eternal companion, but a Bride that would be wholly devoted and lovesick with passion for Him. Service will flow out of a life at His feet. It's time to get out of the kitchen where we find ourselves complaining, and get at His feet where we find Him. When all is said and done, He is the only One that matters.