April 8, 2026
The Algorithm: Intro: Mary vs. Martha: Choosing Presence Over Pressure
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Host Connie Morris launches a new series exploring Luke 10:38–42, contrasting Mary’s focused devotion with Martha’s distracted busyness to challenge how the algorithm and daily distractions have become modern altars.
Through scripture, prayer, and practical reflection, this episode invites listeners to prioritize God’s presence, reclaim their worship, and build spiritual habits that cannot be taken away.
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00:26 - Welcome and Centering Prayer
01:58 - New Series Introduction
05:43 - The Algorithm vs. Worship
12:49 - Distractions and Frustrations
18:41 - Internal Chaos Revealed
22:02 - Choosing Jesus Over Distractions
22:53 - Closing Prayer and Reflection
WEBVTT
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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,
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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work,
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while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer.
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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.
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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.
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The prayer of Jabez, oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.
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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.
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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,
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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.
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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,
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and our ability to receive what you have for us.
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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.
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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,
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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.
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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, Hear us now.
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Your word says that you granted his request. And we believe that you are the same God today.
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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see
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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.
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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman's Podcast.
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I'm your host Connie Morris and today we're starting a new series.
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It's titled The Algorithm Is Not Your Altar, Mary, Martha, and How to Get Your Worship Back.
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So that's before we even begin with the devotional, I want to take a moment
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just to read the scripture, the foundational scripture, so you can get an understanding
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of what is going on and why this topic is so important.
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And so it's found in Luke chapter 10, verses 38 through 42.
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Luke 10, verses 38 to 42. And that reads this way.
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Now, while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain
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village and a woman named Martha received and welcomed him into the house.
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Take note of what Martha is doing.
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And she had a sister named Mary who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was
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listening to his teaching. But Martha, overly occupied and too busy,
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was distracted with much serving.
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When she came up to him and said, Lord, is it nothing to you that my sister
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has left me to serve alone?
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Tell her then to help me to lend a hand and do her part along with me.
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But the Lord replied to her saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.
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There is need of only one, but a few things.
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Mary has chosen the good portion, that which is to her advantage,
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which should not be taken from her.
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We see that Martha came in and she's excited to see Jesus, but she's in a serving mode.
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Jesus is here at the house and we got to get her something to eat.
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We got to clean up the house.
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You know, we start thinking about what's dirty. And then we see our sister,
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her sister, which was Mary, just stopping everything and just going to Jesus' feet.
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And Jesus even told Martha, as we read, that you're anxious.
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You're very anxious. So what would make you anxious if Jesus came to your house today?
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Remember, Jesus was just minding his own business. He said, you know what?
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I'm just going to stop by Martha and Mary's house today.
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What a surprise. But we see Martha was anxious and Mary was ready to hear what he said.
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And so I want to just take a moment right now because that was from the Amplified Classic version.
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I'm going to take you on a journey on how important it is to when you read your
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Bible and you find other translations. Some might not stick to what you want,
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but some might say exactly what you need.
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So you want to be careful with that. You don't want to always read the easy version, right?
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But you always want to be able to get it straight. I always choose a King James
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Version, as you know, throughout my devotionals.
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But then I might kick to NIV, National International Version.
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I forgot what NIV before. And then the message.
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And so that's intentional so that we can get a strong foundation.
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So today we're going to continue with looking at that scripture from a point
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of these different translations so that we can see how do we identify?
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Do we identify with Mary or do we identify with Martha?
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And that's how we're going to get our worship back. Okay, so it matters because
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sometimes when we read one version of the Bible, we think we fully understand it.
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But the truth is, one translation can give you meaning, but multiple translations can give you death.
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A little more deeper. Each version brings something different.
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King James gives you the structure and the weight. The NIV gives you clarity and understanding.
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Then the message puts it in a language that you can recognize in real life.
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And when you put them together, you don't just read the scripture.
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You start to see it. You begin to notice things you may have missed before.
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For example, one version says Martha was cumbered. Another says she was distracted.
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Another says she was pulled away. That's not just wording, that's revelation.
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Because now you understand she didn't just get busy, she was pulled out of position.
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And that's what the series is about.
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Not just reading the word, but letting the word of God read you.
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So as we walk through it, don't rush it. Don't skim it. Just sit with it because this is not just a story.
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It's a mirror. So today we're talking about Mary and Martha.
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And I want you to hear this clearly. This is not just about two women.
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This is about two ways of living. And I want you to be able to see yourself as one or the other.
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Not bad. It's not even good. It's just when we read the Bible,
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we have to put ourselves in the place of that person.
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And I do that. How would you feel if I was Mary?
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How would I feel if I was Martha? Because we actually play a dual role depending.
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On what time of day it is. Am I right?
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So one is busy and one is present. One is distracted and one is focused.
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One is doing and one is sitting. And somewhere in between is us.
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Because if we're honest, most of us are not struggling with loving God.
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We're struggling with focus.
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We're busy. We're pulled. We're constantly giving our attention to something.
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And in this season, that something has a name, the algorithm,
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not because it's evil, but because it's always pulling, always offering something
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to look to, respond to, to engage in. So what happens?
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We start our day with our phone instead of his presence.
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We give our attention to everything else and then try to fit God in somewhere later.
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And that's where this teaching begins, not with judgment, but with awareness. So take a breath.
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And let's just get into the word. So we're going to start with verse 38, the invitation.
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In King James, it tells us that Martha received him into her house.
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In IV, Martha opened her home to him. And in the message translation tells us
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that Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home.
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All these say the same thing, but each one deepens it.
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King James says Martha received.
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NIV said he opened. and the message welcomed and made him comfortable.
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This wasn't casual. This was intentional.
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Martha didn't reject Jesus. She received him. And that's where many people stop.
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We receive him, but we don't remain with him.
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You can invite Jesus into your life and still build your routine around something else.
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The problem is not the invitation. It's what happens after he arrives.
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And if we're honest, many of us have done the same thing. We've said yes to
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God, but our attention belongs somewhere else.
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The algorithm did knock. We handed it access.
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We're still in verse 38, the invitation.
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Martha received him to her house. Martha opened the door to him.
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Martha welcomed and made him feel quite at home. All these say the same thing, right?
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Received, opened, and welcomed and made him comfortable. This wasn't a casual. This was intentional.
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Martha didn't reject Jesus. She received him. And that's where many people stop.
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We received him, but we don't remain with him.
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You can invite Jesus into your life.
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And you can still build a routine around something else. The algorithm didn't place God overnight.
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It slowly became more attended to... The algorithm didn't replace God overnight.
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It slowly became more attended to that than Him.
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Wow. Wow. Take a breather. That's
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it. Because we all say that we are Christians, but yet are we Martha?
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Are we busy about nothing? Are we anxious for everything? right?
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And he says here that we started with him, but yet we have left him in the dust.
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Let's go to verse 39, position.
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And this talks about Mary. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.
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Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he said, NIV.
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The message said, Mary sat before the master, hanging on every word he said. Now this is different.
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Mary didn't just sit. She positioned herself to hear his word,
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to listen, and you notice that she hung on every word.
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That means she gave her full attention, full surrender, and no distractions
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when Jesus entered the room.
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Mary was locked in, not multitasking, not scrolling, not halfway listening.
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She made Jesus her focus. And here's the truth.
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Whatever you hang on becomes your source. Today, many are hanging on notifications.
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Hanging on likes, and hanging on validation.
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But Mary, she was hanging on the word. So each of us so far had a little bit of Mary in us.
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Welcoming into the house, but didn't get busy about stuff.
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Then you have, I mean Martha, but then you have Mary who stopped everything
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and gave her full attention to Jesus because he entered the room.
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Let's go to verse 40, the distraction.
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Martha was cumbered about very much, it says in the King James.
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NIV says Martha was distracted by all the prepared preparations.
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And then a message, it tells us Martha was pulled away by all she had to do.
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So this is where everything shifts. Look at the language.
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Cumbered, weighed down, burdened. NIV tells us distracted.
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And message pulled away. That means she didn't walk away. She was pulled.
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And that's exactly how it happens today.
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Nobody wakes up and says, I'm going to replace time with God with scrolling.
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Scrolling, what I mean here is that we get on our phones or our iPads or the
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computer and we just scroll, listening to whatever it is.
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And that time can be spent with God.
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Not saying it's bad, but when you replace that time with scrolling.
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You get, this is what you get, right? You get pulled into notifications.
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Because every time you get ready to do something, your phone beep or you get
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a text. Pulled into content.
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Oh, that looks good. I like that outfit. Pulled into busyness.
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That scrolling takes up so much time that now we're playing makeup.
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We got to clean our house. We got to do our hair.
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We got busy about other things, right?
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We get busy about other things until you no longer have any time to sit with the Lord.
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The complaint, verse 40, King James, Lord, does thou not care?
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NIV, Lord, don't you care? Message, Master, don't you care?
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You know, this comment comes into play too. It reminds me of when you actually
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begin to follow God and then all of a sudden people want you to go to this or
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that, especially on your time that you have spent.
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I'm going to go to church on Sunday and then I'm going to go to church on Wednesday.
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But all of a sudden those days get really, really busy. Tuesday,
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you ain't doing nothing.
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Thursday and Friday and Saturday, you ain't doing nothing. But on those days
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that you have set your heart to commit to hang on every word from God.
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And maybe in the morning for prayer, maybe in the evening for prayer,
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all of a sudden, things start to pull us away.
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But now we know that distractions can turn into frustration.
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Because we see here that Martha was frustrated with Mary, because we'll have
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friends that want to pull us away.
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And we say no, because we want to go to church.
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And then they'll get upset. You can go to church next week. You can do that tomorrow.
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Well, you're not in my life where I've already set this time apart.
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And so we see here Martha saying, you know, look what Mary, Mary, you got to help.
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But Martha is her sister. And so Martha knows Mary, that Mary's probably always
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praying, always spending quiet time with God.
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But just because Jesus showed up in person, she thought Mary was going to be
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different, but Mary was the same.
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And that is what caused Martha anxiety, I believe, because Martha realized that
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she's busy about nothing, Even though she has this sister at home that's always
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praying, always reading her Bible,
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always not scrolling, always probably got her praise and worship music on.
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And in some places, people say that's way too much. But we see here that when
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Jesus showed up at the house, Arthur got a little bit nervous, a little bit anxious.
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Because that wasn't her whole connection.
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Her whole connection was to make things look like I worship God.
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But when Jesus showed up, it showed her true person, right?
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So Martha gets mad at Jesus, right? Martha says, don't you care?
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I mean, Jesus is preaching to the person that's listening.
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And you got Martha in the background saying, Jesus, don't you care? She lost her focus.
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And when you're overwhelmed, we often question God instead of our priorities.
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Then she asked Jesus, tell her to help me.
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Make her leave what she's doing in your presence and come work like me.
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This is where misalignment happens.
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You start first by criticizing those who are resting in God,
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judging those who aren't doing enough and feeling irritated by peace because
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you're carrying something you're never supposed to carry alone.
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That's a hard one, right? That questions, that was powerful because it questions your true focus.
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Because many times we're looking at someone else instead of ourselves.
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And we can get jealous because someone else does a lot of praise and worship.
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I like to praise and worship with my eyes closed because I can get distracted
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looking around. I'm an usher at the church.
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And so when I come in and I'm not serving, I just want to close my eyes and
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worship. I don't want to see what's going on.
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Because if you work there and you served there, you know, you're going to find
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something that's not right.
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And so I just closed my eyes, but I want you to listen to how,
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how God, how Jesus corrects Martha.
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Let's go to King Matt verse four, Luke 10 verse 41.
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And let's go. It says King James, thou are careful and troubled about many things.
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This is what Jesus is telling Martha.
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King James says that. NIV tells that you are worried and upset about many things.
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You know, you are fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.
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And many times, as we know, we can become irritated. And it wasn't that Martha
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was irritated with Mary.
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She was more irritated with herself because many times she's pointing to,
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she wanted to do that, but she thinking that Jesus expects us to always work, always work.
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Never take time to just worship. Never take time to sit at his feet.
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Never take time to go to church or Bible study. Never take time to go to prayer,
00:17:22.621 --> 00:17:24.641
a prayer call or a prayer meeting.
00:17:24.641 --> 00:17:33.121
You know, and he says to Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.
00:17:33.481 --> 00:17:37.161
Jesus doesn't rebuke her. He reveals her condition.
00:17:37.481 --> 00:17:42.041
You're careful, meaning in King James, meaning you're anxious and you're overthinking.
00:17:42.381 --> 00:17:46.601
And we in our minds think that Jesus wants us a certain way.
00:17:46.721 --> 00:17:48.181
We have to behave a certain way.
00:17:48.321 --> 00:17:53.781
How come we can't just can't be the way he created us and let him just be who he is, right?
00:17:53.801 --> 00:17:58.121
We see here that in the NIV, worried, mentally overwhelmed.
00:17:58.816 --> 00:18:02.216
Fussy, message says it, emotionally worked up.
00:18:02.436 --> 00:18:06.096
So let me put those together. This is her condition, anxious,
00:18:06.596 --> 00:18:10.396
overthinking, mentally overwhelmed, and emotionally worked.
00:18:10.576 --> 00:18:14.456
This is not about work. This is about internal chaos.
00:18:14.756 --> 00:18:20.516
So let's be honest. That's what constant distraction produces in our lives.
00:18:20.656 --> 00:18:26.796
It produces anxiety, restlessness, mental overload, and spiritual disconnection.
00:18:26.796 --> 00:18:31.376
When you continue to scroll, when you continue not to pray, when you continue
00:18:31.376 --> 00:18:33.076
to just be about your business,
00:18:33.436 --> 00:18:39.096
you can notice in your body this anxiety building up, this restlessness building
00:18:39.096 --> 00:18:42.156
up, this mental overload, this spiritual connection.
00:18:42.156 --> 00:18:48.176
Not because life is too heavy, because we're trying to carry it without sitting
00:18:48.176 --> 00:18:51.416
in front of Jesus first, sitting at his feet.
00:18:51.416 --> 00:18:57.596
And I noticed in my life just in the last January when I decided to just take a sabbatical.
00:18:58.312 --> 00:19:03.852
I noticed that I spent the time praying, just exercising, just doing everything
00:19:03.852 --> 00:19:06.032
you know to do when you have time to do it.
00:19:06.152 --> 00:19:10.812
And what I realized is that the prince of peace just rests with me.
00:19:11.052 --> 00:19:15.632
Nothing really causes a lot of anxiety or restlessness in my body anymore.
00:19:15.632 --> 00:19:18.252
I was feeling that before I took the sabbatical.
00:19:18.452 --> 00:19:23.492
But afterwards, I'm feeling like that peace, that calmness that we always wanted,
00:19:23.772 --> 00:19:28.912
that boldness where you don't have time to be afraid. They tell you to do something, you do it. Why?
00:19:29.112 --> 00:19:32.532
Because you're ready. You have been prepared for this.
00:19:32.652 --> 00:19:39.092
But you can't prepare for this if you're not taking time out to sit at the feet of Jesus.
00:19:39.412 --> 00:19:42.332
I know this is an intro. It's going a little long. I want to kind of wrap it
00:19:42.332 --> 00:19:44.572
up. Verse 42 is titled, The Verdict.
00:19:44.992 --> 00:19:51.752
And King James says, one thing is needful. NIV tells us, few things are needed or indeed only one.
00:19:51.972 --> 00:19:56.392
And then the message says this, one thing only is essential.
00:19:56.392 --> 00:19:58.372
And it's the main course.
00:19:58.592 --> 00:20:05.252
Everything else in our life can just go because things that we see are subject to change.
00:20:05.452 --> 00:20:11.312
But Jesus, the thing that we sow in the spirit has eternal rewards.
00:20:11.712 --> 00:20:17.012
And that one thing that we need to do is sit at his feet, get our worship back
00:20:17.012 --> 00:20:20.812
because that is the main course. This is a reset.
00:20:21.112 --> 00:20:27.032
One thing he says that's not on your schedule, not your content, not your productivity.
00:20:27.212 --> 00:20:31.612
Many, everybody has some type of maybe being a content creator.
00:20:31.812 --> 00:20:36.192
But when that content creator starts taking this place of Jesus and you start counting the
00:20:36.437 --> 00:20:43.177
algorithm as though that you are doing the right thing, we might and we are getting it twisted.
00:20:43.517 --> 00:20:48.677
And Jesus makes this clear. Mary chose it, not stumbled into it,
00:20:48.957 --> 00:20:50.217
not accidentally did it.
00:20:50.377 --> 00:20:55.937
She shows presence over pressure. And that is what Jesus says here in King James,
00:20:56.137 --> 00:20:57.937
which should not be taken away from.
00:20:58.217 --> 00:21:01.117
Mary chose right. And what she chose was Jesus.
00:21:01.397 --> 00:21:05.977
Even Jesus said this out of his mouth, that it will not be taken away from her.
00:21:06.117 --> 00:21:08.817
It will not be taken away from her.
00:21:09.157 --> 00:21:13.197
And then it says, it won't be taken away from her in those three translations.
00:21:13.537 --> 00:21:17.737
So when we put Jesus first, but things that we sow in the spirit.
00:21:18.177 --> 00:21:22.037
Reading our Bible, praying, doing the things that we know to do,
00:21:22.217 --> 00:21:24.177
walking in truth, not being distracted.
00:21:24.417 --> 00:21:28.237
He said, those things cannot be taken away from you. That's powerful.
00:21:28.397 --> 00:21:29.897
That means that you're building something
00:21:30.316 --> 00:21:33.396
that the enemy cannot take from you.
00:21:33.676 --> 00:21:38.256
And so Mary was saying, I'm going to say that Jesus, the house can be a hot
00:21:38.256 --> 00:21:39.896
mess, but it's Jesus time.
00:21:40.056 --> 00:21:43.216
It's going to be a hot mess and I'm just hungry. I'll have to wake children.
00:21:43.536 --> 00:21:47.336
Take a minute. I got to go spend my time with Jesus. Showing even your children,
00:21:47.476 --> 00:21:51.656
your husband, your friends, your family, that, hey, Jesus comes first.
00:21:51.856 --> 00:21:53.896
What do you build at the feet of Jesus?
00:21:54.136 --> 00:22:00.036
You build security. When you think about the algorithm, The algorithm can shift.
00:22:00.196 --> 00:22:03.136
It can change. It can crash and it can disappear.
00:22:03.416 --> 00:22:07.496
But what you receive from God, it cannot be taken.
00:22:08.016 --> 00:22:12.176
Martha had Jesus in the house, but was consumed with everything else.
00:22:12.536 --> 00:22:16.336
Mary had Jesus in the house. Remember the same house? And she chose him.
00:22:16.776 --> 00:22:20.536
Two different things happening at the same time, right?
00:22:20.736 --> 00:22:24.256
So what are you hanging on to? I love that the Bible keeps it real.
00:22:24.436 --> 00:22:28.936
You have one sister that's busy, one sister that's a pray a lot sister, right?
00:22:29.196 --> 00:22:33.516
And what did Jesus says last? The one that puts him first.
00:22:33.776 --> 00:22:38.056
So my question to you is, what are you hanging on? Because whatever holds your
00:22:38.056 --> 00:22:39.516
attention becomes your altar.
00:22:39.756 --> 00:22:43.156
And the truth is the algorithm is not your altar.
00:22:43.336 --> 00:22:48.696
The presence of God is. And I can't wait to keep going, but we're going to pause
00:22:48.696 --> 00:22:54.056
here and we're going to come and cut it right here so that there'll be something for the next episode.
00:22:54.256 --> 00:23:00.476
So part two of the introduction is coming your way next and I'll see you on the next episode.
00:23:11.411 --> 00:23:14.571
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.
00:23:14.851 --> 00:23:18.551
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,
00:23:18.611 --> 00:23:20.971
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.
00:23:21.271 --> 00:23:25.791
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.
00:23:26.031 --> 00:23:31.011
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,
00:23:31.331 --> 00:23:35.771
because someone out there needs this reminder today.
00:23:36.031 --> 00:23:42.811
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,
00:23:42.971 --> 00:23:46.591
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
00:23:46.951 --> 00:23:49.251
plans to give you hope and a future.
00:23:49.531 --> 00:23:54.351
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,
00:23:54.611 --> 00:23:59.811
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
00:23:59.931 --> 00:24:05.871
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.
00:24:06.331 --> 00:24:09.511
Father God, God, we thank you for your word, that it is true,
00:24:09.571 --> 00:24:12.271
that it is living, that it is for us.
00:24:12.451 --> 00:24:17.591
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to
00:24:17.591 --> 00:24:20.391
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
00:24:20.631 --> 00:24:25.011
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.
00:24:25.151 --> 00:24:26.431
When we feel overlooked.
00:24:26.994 --> 00:24:32.934
Remind us you still see us. When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan.
00:24:33.094 --> 00:24:36.934
And when we feel hidden, remind us you are still working.
00:24:37.354 --> 00:24:42.994
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.
00:24:43.334 --> 00:24:47.434
Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,
00:24:47.774 --> 00:24:50.674
not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.
00:24:50.914 --> 00:24:57.454
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place, even the hidden one.
00:24:57.654 --> 00:25:03.394
Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken, and remind us that nothing in
00:25:03.394 --> 00:25:05.894
our lives is wasted in your hand.
00:25:06.094 --> 00:25:12.254
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.
00:25:12.754 --> 00:25:16.794
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,
00:25:16.974 --> 00:25:19.854
and I'll see you on the next episode.
00:00:10.427 --> 00:00:14.207
Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,
00:00:14.287 --> 00:00:21.447
Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work,
00:00:21.667 --> 00:00:26.807
while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer.
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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.
00:00:33.927 --> 00:00:40.047
Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.
00:00:40.427 --> 00:00:46.427
The prayer of Jabez, oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.
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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.
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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,
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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.
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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,
00:01:10.407 --> 00:01:12.867
and our ability to receive what you have for us.
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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.
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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,
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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.
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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, Hear us now.
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Your word says that you granted his request. And we believe that you are the same God today.
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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see
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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.
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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
00:02:12.975 --> 00:02:16.895
Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman's Podcast.
00:02:17.235 --> 00:02:19.895
I'm your host Connie Morris and today we're starting a new series.
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It's titled The Algorithm Is Not Your Altar, Mary, Martha, and How to Get Your Worship Back.
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So that's before we even begin with the devotional, I want to take a moment
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just to read the scripture, the foundational scripture, so you can get an understanding
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of what is going on and why this topic is so important.
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And so it's found in Luke chapter 10, verses 38 through 42.
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Luke 10, verses 38 to 42. And that reads this way.
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Now, while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain
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village and a woman named Martha received and welcomed him into the house.
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Take note of what Martha is doing.
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And she had a sister named Mary who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was
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listening to his teaching. But Martha, overly occupied and too busy,
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was distracted with much serving.
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When she came up to him and said, Lord, is it nothing to you that my sister
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has left me to serve alone?
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Tell her then to help me to lend a hand and do her part along with me.
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But the Lord replied to her saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things.
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There is need of only one, but a few things.
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Mary has chosen the good portion, that which is to her advantage,
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which should not be taken from her.
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We see that Martha came in and she's excited to see Jesus, but she's in a serving mode.
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Jesus is here at the house and we got to get her something to eat.
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We got to clean up the house.
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You know, we start thinking about what's dirty. And then we see our sister,
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her sister, which was Mary, just stopping everything and just going to Jesus' feet.
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And Jesus even told Martha, as we read, that you're anxious.
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You're very anxious. So what would make you anxious if Jesus came to your house today?
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Remember, Jesus was just minding his own business. He said, you know what?
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I'm just going to stop by Martha and Mary's house today.
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What a surprise. But we see Martha was anxious and Mary was ready to hear what he said.
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And so I want to just take a moment right now because that was from the Amplified Classic version.
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I'm going to take you on a journey on how important it is to when you read your
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Bible and you find other translations. Some might not stick to what you want,
00:04:52.225 --> 00:04:54.485
but some might say exactly what you need.
00:04:54.745 --> 00:04:59.025
So you want to be careful with that. You don't want to always read the easy version, right?
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But you always want to be able to get it straight. I always choose a King James
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Version, as you know, throughout my devotionals.
00:05:06.025 --> 00:05:10.445
But then I might kick to NIV, National International Version.
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I forgot what NIV before. And then the message.
00:05:13.145 --> 00:05:16.525
And so that's intentional so that we can get a strong foundation.
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So today we're going to continue with looking at that scripture from a point
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of these different translations so that we can see how do we identify?
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Do we identify with Mary or do we identify with Martha?
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And that's how we're going to get our worship back. Okay, so it matters because
00:05:38.485 --> 00:05:43.545
sometimes when we read one version of the Bible, we think we fully understand it.
00:05:43.545 --> 00:05:50.485
But the truth is, one translation can give you meaning, but multiple translations can give you death.
00:05:51.955 --> 00:05:55.975
A little more deeper. Each version brings something different.
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King James gives you the structure and the weight. The NIV gives you clarity and understanding.
00:06:02.135 --> 00:06:06.595
Then the message puts it in a language that you can recognize in real life.
00:06:06.775 --> 00:06:10.295
And when you put them together, you don't just read the scripture.
00:06:10.575 --> 00:06:15.415
You start to see it. You begin to notice things you may have missed before.
00:06:15.675 --> 00:06:21.655
For example, one version says Martha was cumbered. Another says she was distracted.
00:06:21.915 --> 00:06:26.775
Another says she was pulled away. That's not just wording, that's revelation.
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Because now you understand she didn't just get busy, she was pulled out of position.
00:06:33.455 --> 00:06:35.215
And that's what the series is about.
00:06:35.724 --> 00:06:41.064
Not just reading the word, but letting the word of God read you.
00:06:41.324 --> 00:06:47.764
So as we walk through it, don't rush it. Don't skim it. Just sit with it because this is not just a story.
00:06:48.084 --> 00:06:52.164
It's a mirror. So today we're talking about Mary and Martha.
00:06:52.324 --> 00:06:56.304
And I want you to hear this clearly. This is not just about two women.
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This is about two ways of living. And I want you to be able to see yourself as one or the other.
00:07:03.164 --> 00:07:06.904
Not bad. It's not even good. It's just when we read the Bible,
00:07:07.144 --> 00:07:10.284
we have to put ourselves in the place of that person.
00:07:10.404 --> 00:07:13.544
And I do that. How would you feel if I was Mary?
00:07:13.704 --> 00:07:18.924
How would I feel if I was Martha? Because we actually play a dual role depending.
00:07:19.504 --> 00:07:21.624
On what time of day it is. Am I right?
00:07:21.864 --> 00:07:27.344
So one is busy and one is present. One is distracted and one is focused.
00:07:27.784 --> 00:07:32.944
One is doing and one is sitting. And somewhere in between is us.
00:07:33.104 --> 00:07:37.564
Because if we're honest, most of us are not struggling with loving God.
00:07:37.604 --> 00:07:39.244
We're struggling with focus.
00:07:39.484 --> 00:07:43.904
We're busy. We're pulled. We're constantly giving our attention to something.
00:07:44.084 --> 00:07:47.844
And in this season, that something has a name, the algorithm,
00:07:48.304 --> 00:07:53.064
not because it's evil, but because it's always pulling, always offering something
00:07:53.064 --> 00:07:57.324
to look to, respond to, to engage in. So what happens?
00:07:57.544 --> 00:08:00.704
We start our day with our phone instead of his presence.
00:08:00.784 --> 00:08:06.084
We give our attention to everything else and then try to fit God in somewhere later.
00:08:06.264 --> 00:08:12.124
And that's where this teaching begins, not with judgment, but with awareness. So take a breath.
00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:17.650
And let's just get into the word. So we're going to start with verse 38, the invitation.
00:08:18.030 --> 00:08:22.250
In King James, it tells us that Martha received him into her house.
00:08:22.470 --> 00:08:27.110
In IV, Martha opened her home to him. And in the message translation tells us
00:08:27.110 --> 00:08:31.170
that Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home.
00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:35.210
All these say the same thing, but each one deepens it.
00:08:35.450 --> 00:08:38.170
King James says Martha received.
00:08:38.510 --> 00:08:43.330
NIV said he opened. and the message welcomed and made him comfortable.
00:08:43.610 --> 00:08:46.170
This wasn't casual. This was intentional.
00:08:46.710 --> 00:08:52.270
Martha didn't reject Jesus. She received him. And that's where many people stop.
00:08:52.570 --> 00:08:55.790
We receive him, but we don't remain with him.
00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.830
You can invite Jesus into your life and still build your routine around something else.
00:09:01.070 --> 00:09:05.290
The problem is not the invitation. It's what happens after he arrives.
00:09:05.510 --> 00:09:09.830
And if we're honest, many of us have done the same thing. We've said yes to
00:09:09.830 --> 00:09:12.750
God, but our attention belongs somewhere else.
00:09:12.950 --> 00:09:16.650
The algorithm did knock. We handed it access.
00:09:16.990 --> 00:09:18.870
We're still in verse 38, the invitation.
00:09:19.230 --> 00:09:22.390
Martha received him to her house. Martha opened the door to him.
00:09:22.690 --> 00:09:27.450
Martha welcomed and made him feel quite at home. All these say the same thing, right?
00:09:27.730 --> 00:09:32.990
Received, opened, and welcomed and made him comfortable. This wasn't a casual. This was intentional.
00:09:33.530 --> 00:09:38.210
Martha didn't reject Jesus. She received him. And that's where many people stop.
00:09:38.210 --> 00:09:41.110
We received him, but we don't remain with him.
00:09:41.310 --> 00:09:43.550
You can invite Jesus into your life.
00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:49.280
And you can still build a routine around something else. The algorithm didn't place God overnight.
00:09:49.520 --> 00:09:55.960
It slowly became more attended to... The algorithm didn't replace God overnight.
00:09:56.180 --> 00:10:00.460
It slowly became more attended to that than Him.
00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.040
Wow. Wow. Take a breather. That's
00:10:03.040 --> 00:10:08.780
it. Because we all say that we are Christians, but yet are we Martha?
00:10:08.980 --> 00:10:14.140
Are we busy about nothing? Are we anxious for everything? right?
00:10:14.400 --> 00:10:20.620
And he says here that we started with him, but yet we have left him in the dust.
00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:24.240
Let's go to verse 39, position.
00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:29.200
And this talks about Mary. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.
00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:33.140
Mary sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he said, NIV.
00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:40.600
The message said, Mary sat before the master, hanging on every word he said. Now this is different.
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Mary didn't just sit. She positioned herself to hear his word,
00:10:45.780 --> 00:10:49.480
to listen, and you notice that she hung on every word.
00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.720
That means she gave her full attention, full surrender, and no distractions
00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:55.640
when Jesus entered the room.
00:10:55.860 --> 00:11:02.000
Mary was locked in, not multitasking, not scrolling, not halfway listening.
00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:05.200
She made Jesus her focus. And here's the truth.
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Whatever you hang on becomes your source. Today, many are hanging on notifications.
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Hanging on likes, and hanging on validation.
00:11:14.780 --> 00:11:21.800
But Mary, she was hanging on the word. So each of us so far had a little bit of Mary in us.
00:11:22.464 --> 00:11:26.284
Welcoming into the house, but didn't get busy about stuff.
00:11:26.704 --> 00:11:31.784
Then you have, I mean Martha, but then you have Mary who stopped everything
00:11:31.784 --> 00:11:36.564
and gave her full attention to Jesus because he entered the room.
00:11:36.884 --> 00:11:39.484
Let's go to verse 40, the distraction.
00:11:40.044 --> 00:11:43.584
Martha was cumbered about very much, it says in the King James.
00:11:43.764 --> 00:11:48.324
NIV says Martha was distracted by all the prepared preparations.
00:11:48.324 --> 00:11:54.064
And then a message, it tells us Martha was pulled away by all she had to do.
00:11:54.264 --> 00:11:57.304
So this is where everything shifts. Look at the language.
00:11:57.684 --> 00:12:01.904
Cumbered, weighed down, burdened. NIV tells us distracted.
00:12:02.384 --> 00:12:06.644
And message pulled away. That means she didn't walk away. She was pulled.
00:12:06.824 --> 00:12:08.884
And that's exactly how it happens today.
00:12:09.084 --> 00:12:13.704
Nobody wakes up and says, I'm going to replace time with God with scrolling.
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Scrolling, what I mean here is that we get on our phones or our iPads or the
00:12:20.084 --> 00:12:23.944
computer and we just scroll, listening to whatever it is.
00:12:24.224 --> 00:12:26.604
And that time can be spent with God.
00:12:26.924 --> 00:12:31.344
Not saying it's bad, but when you replace that time with scrolling.
00:12:31.844 --> 00:12:35.624
You get, this is what you get, right? You get pulled into notifications.
00:12:36.064 --> 00:12:39.404
Because every time you get ready to do something, your phone beep or you get
00:12:39.404 --> 00:12:41.484
a text. Pulled into content.
00:12:41.744 --> 00:12:45.084
Oh, that looks good. I like that outfit. Pulled into busyness.
00:12:45.555 --> 00:12:49.395
That scrolling takes up so much time that now we're playing makeup.
00:12:49.515 --> 00:12:51.415
We got to clean our house. We got to do our hair.
00:12:51.755 --> 00:12:54.855
We got busy about other things, right?
00:12:54.935 --> 00:13:00.535
We get busy about other things until you no longer have any time to sit with the Lord.
00:13:00.975 --> 00:13:05.655
The complaint, verse 40, King James, Lord, does thou not care?
00:13:05.975 --> 00:13:10.055
NIV, Lord, don't you care? Message, Master, don't you care?
00:13:10.255 --> 00:13:15.335
You know, this comment comes into play too. It reminds me of when you actually
00:13:15.335 --> 00:13:21.055
begin to follow God and then all of a sudden people want you to go to this or
00:13:21.055 --> 00:13:23.555
that, especially on your time that you have spent.
00:13:23.735 --> 00:13:27.175
I'm going to go to church on Sunday and then I'm going to go to church on Wednesday.
00:13:27.395 --> 00:13:31.255
But all of a sudden those days get really, really busy. Tuesday,
00:13:31.455 --> 00:13:32.275
you ain't doing nothing.
00:13:32.595 --> 00:13:36.235
Thursday and Friday and Saturday, you ain't doing nothing. But on those days
00:13:36.235 --> 00:13:40.735
that you have set your heart to commit to hang on every word from God.
00:13:41.342 --> 00:13:44.622
And maybe in the morning for prayer, maybe in the evening for prayer,
00:13:44.842 --> 00:13:48.562
all of a sudden, things start to pull us away.
00:13:48.742 --> 00:13:52.282
But now we know that distractions can turn into frustration.
00:13:52.522 --> 00:13:57.102
Because we see here that Martha was frustrated with Mary, because we'll have
00:13:57.102 --> 00:14:00.042
friends that want to pull us away.
00:14:00.082 --> 00:14:03.602
And we say no, because we want to go to church.
00:14:03.862 --> 00:14:08.522
And then they'll get upset. You can go to church next week. You can do that tomorrow.
00:14:08.762 --> 00:14:12.882
Well, you're not in my life where I've already set this time apart.
00:14:13.182 --> 00:14:17.382
And so we see here Martha saying, you know, look what Mary, Mary, you got to help.
00:14:17.542 --> 00:14:22.602
But Martha is her sister. And so Martha knows Mary, that Mary's probably always
00:14:22.602 --> 00:14:25.122
praying, always spending quiet time with God.
00:14:25.302 --> 00:14:30.062
But just because Jesus showed up in person, she thought Mary was going to be
00:14:30.062 --> 00:14:32.422
different, but Mary was the same.
00:14:32.642 --> 00:14:38.602
And that is what caused Martha anxiety, I believe, because Martha realized that
00:14:38.602 --> 00:14:42.902
she's busy about nothing, Even though she has this sister at home that's always
00:14:42.902 --> 00:14:44.122
praying, always reading her Bible,
00:14:44.422 --> 00:14:48.222
always not scrolling, always probably got her praise and worship music on.
00:14:48.422 --> 00:14:53.242
And in some places, people say that's way too much. But we see here that when
00:14:53.242 --> 00:14:58.242
Jesus showed up at the house, Arthur got a little bit nervous, a little bit anxious.
00:14:58.735 --> 00:15:00.355
Because that wasn't her whole connection.
00:15:00.535 --> 00:15:03.655
Her whole connection was to make things look like I worship God.
00:15:03.835 --> 00:15:08.435
But when Jesus showed up, it showed her true person, right?
00:15:08.675 --> 00:15:13.955
So Martha gets mad at Jesus, right? Martha says, don't you care?
00:15:14.115 --> 00:15:17.395
I mean, Jesus is preaching to the person that's listening.
00:15:17.615 --> 00:15:22.555
And you got Martha in the background saying, Jesus, don't you care? She lost her focus.
00:15:22.775 --> 00:15:28.435
And when you're overwhelmed, we often question God instead of our priorities.
00:15:28.735 --> 00:15:31.935
Then she asked Jesus, tell her to help me.
00:15:32.355 --> 00:15:38.535
Make her leave what she's doing in your presence and come work like me.
00:15:38.695 --> 00:15:40.655
This is where misalignment happens.
00:15:40.915 --> 00:15:44.595
You start first by criticizing those who are resting in God,
00:15:44.875 --> 00:15:50.175
judging those who aren't doing enough and feeling irritated by peace because
00:15:50.175 --> 00:15:54.735
you're carrying something you're never supposed to carry alone.
00:15:55.035 --> 00:16:00.875
That's a hard one, right? That questions, that was powerful because it questions your true focus.
00:16:01.055 --> 00:16:05.235
Because many times we're looking at someone else instead of ourselves.
00:16:05.315 --> 00:16:08.875
And we can get jealous because someone else does a lot of praise and worship.
00:16:09.095 --> 00:16:13.175
I like to praise and worship with my eyes closed because I can get distracted
00:16:13.175 --> 00:16:15.035
looking around. I'm an usher at the church.
00:16:15.215 --> 00:16:19.515
And so when I come in and I'm not serving, I just want to close my eyes and
00:16:19.515 --> 00:16:22.015
worship. I don't want to see what's going on.
00:16:22.255 --> 00:16:25.715
Because if you work there and you served there, you know, you're going to find
00:16:25.715 --> 00:16:26.775
something that's not right.
00:16:26.975 --> 00:16:30.835
And so I just closed my eyes, but I want you to listen to how,
00:16:30.835 --> 00:16:33.655
how God, how Jesus corrects Martha.
00:16:33.935 --> 00:16:38.135
Let's go to King Matt verse four, Luke 10 verse 41.
00:16:38.775 --> 00:16:43.495
And let's go. It says King James, thou are careful and troubled about many things.
00:16:43.655 --> 00:16:45.455
This is what Jesus is telling Martha.
00:16:45.915 --> 00:16:50.615
King James says that. NIV tells that you are worried and upset about many things.
00:16:50.815 --> 00:16:55.075
You know, you are fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.
00:16:55.701 --> 00:17:00.481
And many times, as we know, we can become irritated. And it wasn't that Martha
00:17:00.481 --> 00:17:01.801
was irritated with Mary.
00:17:02.001 --> 00:17:06.781
She was more irritated with herself because many times she's pointing to,
00:17:07.021 --> 00:17:13.341
she wanted to do that, but she thinking that Jesus expects us to always work, always work.
00:17:13.461 --> 00:17:17.101
Never take time to just worship. Never take time to sit at his feet.
00:17:17.401 --> 00:17:22.281
Never take time to go to church or Bible study. Never take time to go to prayer,
00:17:22.621 --> 00:17:24.641
a prayer call or a prayer meeting.
00:17:24.641 --> 00:17:33.121
You know, and he says to Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing.
00:17:33.481 --> 00:17:37.161
Jesus doesn't rebuke her. He reveals her condition.
00:17:37.481 --> 00:17:42.041
You're careful, meaning in King James, meaning you're anxious and you're overthinking.
00:17:42.381 --> 00:17:46.601
And we in our minds think that Jesus wants us a certain way.
00:17:46.721 --> 00:17:48.181
We have to behave a certain way.
00:17:48.321 --> 00:17:53.781
How come we can't just can't be the way he created us and let him just be who he is, right?
00:17:53.801 --> 00:17:58.121
We see here that in the NIV, worried, mentally overwhelmed.
00:17:58.816 --> 00:18:02.216
Fussy, message says it, emotionally worked up.
00:18:02.436 --> 00:18:06.096
So let me put those together. This is her condition, anxious,
00:18:06.596 --> 00:18:10.396
overthinking, mentally overwhelmed, and emotionally worked.
00:18:10.576 --> 00:18:14.456
This is not about work. This is about internal chaos.
00:18:14.756 --> 00:18:20.516
So let's be honest. That's what constant distraction produces in our lives.
00:18:20.656 --> 00:18:26.796
It produces anxiety, restlessness, mental overload, and spiritual disconnection.
00:18:26.796 --> 00:18:31.376
When you continue to scroll, when you continue not to pray, when you continue
00:18:31.376 --> 00:18:33.076
to just be about your business,
00:18:33.436 --> 00:18:39.096
you can notice in your body this anxiety building up, this restlessness building
00:18:39.096 --> 00:18:42.156
up, this mental overload, this spiritual connection.
00:18:42.156 --> 00:18:48.176
Not because life is too heavy, because we're trying to carry it without sitting
00:18:48.176 --> 00:18:51.416
in front of Jesus first, sitting at his feet.
00:18:51.416 --> 00:18:57.596
And I noticed in my life just in the last January when I decided to just take a sabbatical.
00:18:58.312 --> 00:19:03.852
I noticed that I spent the time praying, just exercising, just doing everything
00:19:03.852 --> 00:19:06.032
you know to do when you have time to do it.
00:19:06.152 --> 00:19:10.812
And what I realized is that the prince of peace just rests with me.
00:19:11.052 --> 00:19:15.632
Nothing really causes a lot of anxiety or restlessness in my body anymore.
00:19:15.632 --> 00:19:18.252
I was feeling that before I took the sabbatical.
00:19:18.452 --> 00:19:23.492
But afterwards, I'm feeling like that peace, that calmness that we always wanted,
00:19:23.772 --> 00:19:28.912
that boldness where you don't have time to be afraid. They tell you to do something, you do it. Why?
00:19:29.112 --> 00:19:32.532
Because you're ready. You have been prepared for this.
00:19:32.652 --> 00:19:39.092
But you can't prepare for this if you're not taking time out to sit at the feet of Jesus.
00:19:39.412 --> 00:19:42.332
I know this is an intro. It's going a little long. I want to kind of wrap it
00:19:42.332 --> 00:19:44.572
up. Verse 42 is titled, The Verdict.
00:19:44.992 --> 00:19:51.752
And King James says, one thing is needful. NIV tells us, few things are needed or indeed only one.
00:19:51.972 --> 00:19:56.392
And then the message says this, one thing only is essential.
00:19:56.392 --> 00:19:58.372
And it's the main course.
00:19:58.592 --> 00:20:05.252
Everything else in our life can just go because things that we see are subject to change.
00:20:05.452 --> 00:20:11.312
But Jesus, the thing that we sow in the spirit has eternal rewards.
00:20:11.712 --> 00:20:17.012
And that one thing that we need to do is sit at his feet, get our worship back
00:20:17.012 --> 00:20:20.812
because that is the main course. This is a reset.
00:20:21.112 --> 00:20:27.032
One thing he says that's not on your schedule, not your content, not your productivity.
00:20:27.212 --> 00:20:31.612
Many, everybody has some type of maybe being a content creator.
00:20:31.812 --> 00:20:36.192
But when that content creator starts taking this place of Jesus and you start counting the
00:20:36.437 --> 00:20:43.177
algorithm as though that you are doing the right thing, we might and we are getting it twisted.
00:20:43.517 --> 00:20:48.677
And Jesus makes this clear. Mary chose it, not stumbled into it,
00:20:48.957 --> 00:20:50.217
not accidentally did it.
00:20:50.377 --> 00:20:55.937
She shows presence over pressure. And that is what Jesus says here in King James,
00:20:56.137 --> 00:20:57.937
which should not be taken away from.
00:20:58.217 --> 00:21:01.117
Mary chose right. And what she chose was Jesus.
00:21:01.397 --> 00:21:05.977
Even Jesus said this out of his mouth, that it will not be taken away from her.
00:21:06.117 --> 00:21:08.817
It will not be taken away from her.
00:21:09.157 --> 00:21:13.197
And then it says, it won't be taken away from her in those three translations.
00:21:13.537 --> 00:21:17.737
So when we put Jesus first, but things that we sow in the spirit.
00:21:18.177 --> 00:21:22.037
Reading our Bible, praying, doing the things that we know to do,
00:21:22.217 --> 00:21:24.177
walking in truth, not being distracted.
00:21:24.417 --> 00:21:28.237
He said, those things cannot be taken away from you. That's powerful.
00:21:28.397 --> 00:21:29.897
That means that you're building something
00:21:30.316 --> 00:21:33.396
that the enemy cannot take from you.
00:21:33.676 --> 00:21:38.256
And so Mary was saying, I'm going to say that Jesus, the house can be a hot
00:21:38.256 --> 00:21:39.896
mess, but it's Jesus time.
00:21:40.056 --> 00:21:43.216
It's going to be a hot mess and I'm just hungry. I'll have to wake children.
00:21:43.536 --> 00:21:47.336
Take a minute. I got to go spend my time with Jesus. Showing even your children,
00:21:47.476 --> 00:21:51.656
your husband, your friends, your family, that, hey, Jesus comes first.
00:21:51.856 --> 00:21:53.896
What do you build at the feet of Jesus?
00:21:54.136 --> 00:22:00.036
You build security. When you think about the algorithm, The algorithm can shift.
00:22:00.196 --> 00:22:03.136
It can change. It can crash and it can disappear.
00:22:03.416 --> 00:22:07.496
But what you receive from God, it cannot be taken.
00:22:08.016 --> 00:22:12.176
Martha had Jesus in the house, but was consumed with everything else.
00:22:12.536 --> 00:22:16.336
Mary had Jesus in the house. Remember the same house? And she chose him.
00:22:16.776 --> 00:22:20.536
Two different things happening at the same time, right?
00:22:20.736 --> 00:22:24.256
So what are you hanging on to? I love that the Bible keeps it real.
00:22:24.436 --> 00:22:28.936
You have one sister that's busy, one sister that's a pray a lot sister, right?
00:22:29.196 --> 00:22:33.516
And what did Jesus says last? The one that puts him first.
00:22:33.776 --> 00:22:38.056
So my question to you is, what are you hanging on? Because whatever holds your
00:22:38.056 --> 00:22:39.516
attention becomes your altar.
00:22:39.756 --> 00:22:43.156
And the truth is the algorithm is not your altar.
00:22:43.336 --> 00:22:48.696
The presence of God is. And I can't wait to keep going, but we're going to pause
00:22:48.696 --> 00:22:54.056
here and we're going to come and cut it right here so that there'll be something for the next episode.
00:22:54.256 --> 00:23:00.476
So part two of the introduction is coming your way next and I'll see you on the next episode.
00:23:11.411 --> 00:23:14.571
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.
00:23:14.851 --> 00:23:18.551
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,
00:23:18.611 --> 00:23:20.971
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.
00:23:21.271 --> 00:23:25.791
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.
00:23:26.031 --> 00:23:31.011
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,
00:23:31.331 --> 00:23:35.771
because someone out there needs this reminder today.
00:23:36.031 --> 00:23:42.811
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,
00:23:42.971 --> 00:23:46.591
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
00:23:46.951 --> 00:23:49.251
plans to give you hope and a future.
00:23:49.531 --> 00:23:54.351
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,
00:23:54.611 --> 00:23:59.811
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
00:23:59.931 --> 00:24:05.871
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.
00:24:06.331 --> 00:24:09.511
Father God, God, we thank you for your word, that it is true,
00:24:09.571 --> 00:24:12.271
that it is living, that it is for us.
00:24:12.451 --> 00:24:17.591
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to
00:24:17.591 --> 00:24:20.391
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
00:24:20.631 --> 00:24:25.011
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.
00:24:25.151 --> 00:24:26.431
When we feel overlooked.
00:24:26.994 --> 00:24:32.934
Remind us you still see us. When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan.
00:24:33.094 --> 00:24:36.934
And when we feel hidden, remind us you are still working.
00:24:37.354 --> 00:24:42.994
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.
00:24:43.334 --> 00:24:47.434
Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,
00:24:47.774 --> 00:24:50.674
not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.
00:24:50.914 --> 00:24:57.454
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place, even the hidden one.
00:24:57.654 --> 00:25:03.394
Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken, and remind us that nothing in
00:25:03.394 --> 00:25:05.894
our lives is wasted in your hand.
00:25:06.094 --> 00:25:12.254
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.
00:25:12.754 --> 00:25:16.794
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,
00:25:16.974 --> 00:25:19.854
and I'll see you on the next episode.