The Cost of Control - Week 3

This powerful message invites us into the tension between serving and being, between doing and sitting at the feet of Jesus. Through the story of Mary and Martha, we discover that self-control doesn't begin with white-knuckle willpower but with choosing our posture before Christ. Martha's distraction reveals a deeper truth about our own lives: we often believe that serving the Lord is more important than being with the Lord. Yet Jesus gently redirects us to the one thing needed—intimate time in His presence. The Greek word for Martha's distraction literally means to be pulled apart, dragged in many directions, and how many of us know that feeling all too well? We learn that the most disciplined life isn't the busiest one, but the one anchored in Christ. When we sit at His feet, our hearts slow down, our priorities realign, and our emotions settle. This isn't about abandoning responsibility but about understanding that self-control is formed by worship, not powered by willpower alone. The message challenges us to examine whether we're measuring our worth by what we accomplish or by who we belong to, reminding us that peace isn't found in gaining more but in holding less.