Called to be with Him

Life pulls us in a hundred different directions, and our culture tells us our worth is found in what we produce. But in Luke 10:38-42, Jesus shows us a better way. Before we ever do anything for Him, we are called first to be with Him. In this kickoff message from our new series "I Am Called", discover why presence matters more than performance--and how dwelling with Jesus shapes our identity, assurance, and mission.

Other Episodes in this series:

1. Called to be with Him
2. Called and Confirmed (September 15)
3. Called to Obey (September 22)

Linkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.

Ravenna Church of the Nazarene
530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472

Transcript

*not a word for word transcript, but the sermon manuscript*

 I AM CALLED

PART ONE: CALLED TO BE WITH HIM

     Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but possibly not. But does anyone feel like they wake up in the morning and are shot out of a cannon? Life is so busy, it constantly pulls me in different directions. Our lives are so busy, they are filled with distractions that keep us from accomplishing the things on our to-do lists.

     Part of the problem with that is how our world views productivity. Our self-worth is tied to how much we get accomplished in a day. Think about it, when our boss walks in, our instinct is to look busy. Why? So the boss sees our value by how much we accomplish.

     The question we should be asking ourselves is: Is my worth found in what I do, or in who I am? 

     There is a story in the Bible that embodies this tension between doing and being. It involves Jesus and two sisters. Let’s look at it to see what Jesus says about this question.

Luke 10:38-42 (CEB)

38 While Jesus and his disciples were traveling, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message. 40 By contrast, Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for their meal. So Martha came to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to prepare the table all by myself? Tell her to help me.”

41 The Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things. 42 One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.”

This is the word of God

For the people of God

Thanks be to God

This story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha may seem simple at first glance, but it raises deep questions about what it really means to follow Him. And that’s what this new series is all about, answering God’s call. Over the next few weeks, we are going to walk through what it means for us to be called by the Great I Am. Today, as we look at this story, we’ll see the first way Jesus invites us into that calling. And it is the most important.

     Jesus goes to a village and enters a home occupied by two sisters, Martha and Mary. His disciples gather around him, and Jesus begins to talk with them. Verse 38 says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his message.” This might be missed by us, but in this culture, at this time period, what Mary did was a big deal. This isn’t Mary just taking a break; the phrase ‘sat at the Lord’s feet’ is the language of discipleship. Mary is positioning herself as a student of the Rabbi—something women weren’t supposed to do. She was acting like one of the boys, a disciple. Mary chooses to be in the presence of Jesus.

     Martha did not like this at all. Verse 40 says, “Martha was preoccupied with getting everything ready for the meal.” Hospitality was a matter of honor and shame, so Martha is doing what society expected her to do. The word translated as “preoccupied” literally means “pulled around” or “dragged in different directions”. Martha had so much to do, she was like your cell phone trying to run 47 apps in the background. And Mary was sitting with the boys. So, Martha says to Jesus, “Don’t you care that my sister is not helping me? Tell her to help.”

     Jesus responds with “Martha, Martha.” I can picture Jesus with a smile, lovingly shaking His head. He continues, “You are worried and distracted by many things.” Martha is so busy, so focused on doing that her mind is not on Jesus; it is on proving to Jesus she is a good host. Jesus is present with Martha, but her focus is not on Jesus; it is on the world and worldly expectations.

     In verse 42, Jesus goes on to say, “One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part. It won’t be taken away from her.” That last phrase is much stronger than it reads. Jesus is saying, “It will absolutely not be taken away.” In a world where meals are eaten, work is forgotten, Jesus is telling Martha that time at His feet lasts forever. The issue wasn’t Martha’s serving—it was that she put service ahead of presence. She was doing for Jesus before being with Jesus.

     What does this story actually teach us? What is the one thing Jesus wants His followers to understand? Our identity begins in dwelling with Jesus, not doing for Jesus.

We cannot work for Jesus if we do not know Jesus. He first calls us to dwell with Him—to sit at His feet and listen to His Word. Holiness is not first about doing—it is first about being. Being set apart in His presence. And when our identity is rooted in Him, then our assurance and our mission have a foundation that will not crumble.

Now—this is not Jesus dismissing service. Service matters. It is the outward evidence of our inward faith. But service without presence is not discipleship—it is just busyness dressed up as ministry. Who we are with Him will always outweigh what we do for Him.

     I don’t have to tell you, as people in Eastern Kentucky, hard work is our DNA. Some of you have worked double shifts at the plant or spent countless hours caregiving for family. Survival, provision, long days—it feels like life demands Martha’s way. But Jesus says your worth is not in what you produce. Our culture idolizes productivity—but Jesus flips that idol over and says, ‘The better part is presence, not performance.’

We are prone to distraction, measuring holiness by busyness. But Jesus is not telling you to quit working—He knows your responsibilities. He’s telling you to stop letting work define you. The good news is not ‘do more,’ but ‘come, sit, and receive.’”

     Martha was not choosing wrong over right—she just thought many things were necessary. But Jesus says only one thing truly is. Dishes pile up, reputations rise and fall, work comes and goes—but time at the feet of Jesus lasts forever.

So this week, before you rush into doing, will you stop and dwell with Him? Before you offer your life to do all that He asks, sit and let Him be with you. Jesus is not pushing you away because you have been distracted—He is inviting you closer.

You are called to dwell with Jesus—before you do for Jesus, be with Jesus.