Internal Housekeeping
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title:
Internal Housekeeping------------------------------ Date: 11/19/2001
Keywords:
"anxiety" "frustration" "necessary" "urgent"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Passage: Luke 10:41-42*
41. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about
many things,
42. but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will
not be taken away from her."
Questions
1. What was the "one thing" needed?
2. How can we apply this message to our struggles with pornography?
Practical help
Critics often lambaste Christianity — and any worldview predating the
1960s — for being out of date. How can 2,000-year-old texts, they ask,
speak to us in the here and now? The answer is right here. And right now.
Like much of Scripture, Luke 10:41-42 deals with timeless issues; Jesus
zeroes in on how focusing on the urgent causes anxiety and frustration —
and crowds out the necessary. For Martha, the urgent was housework. For us,
it's often the urges of our loins. (At least scrubbing floors carries some
intrinsic value.) But no matter if we pursue good or evil ends, the same
pattern results: A misplaced focus causes anxiety and frustration. No one is
more upset and frustrated than someone struggling with pornography.
So Jesus' advice for Martha also applies to us. The "one thing" needed is
spending time with Christ. So if you've given in to temptation with
pornography lately, check the frequency of your daily devotions. Chances are
you're overdue for some internal housekeeping.
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.
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