"Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). This simple inquiry is the first recorded
utterance of Paul to our Lord. The same inquiry ought to be the expression of every one who has
been brought to realize the full claim Christ has on him. The more we own and realize the
relationship between us and Christ which now exists through grace, the ‘more simply and
continuously will this be our whole-hearted cry to Him. If our hearts are true and devoted to Him,
we will wait on Him for guidance and counsel. We will find no real satisfaction in being anywhere
or doing anything which is not according to His mind. Our place and our occupation here will be
only determined by the pleasure of Him whose we are and whom we serve.

If we were truly devoted to the Lord, there would be no mistakes made with regard to our work
for the Lord. But we do make mistakes of two kinds:On the one hand, we may plan out work for
ourselves; on the other hand, it may be that we do no work at all.

Now the first of these mistakes is the most difficult to deal with since by the very nature of the
work we are doing we may be deceived into thinking that it is of the Lord. A good example of this
is seen in Martha. She felt that what she was doing was very right and necessary service for her
Lord, so much so that she thought Mary ought to be helping her rather than to be sitting at Jesus’
feet. Nothing so deceives and leads astray as the conscience working at a distance from Christ.
For instance, I may feel in my conscience that I ought to be Christ’s servant. But if I am not near
Him, and I begin to do something to satisfy my conscience, I am doing it in self-will, and not
because He wants me to do it. When this is the case, it is not His pleasure which guides as to what
is suitable and proper; it is my own mind. The service may indeed be quite necessary, as was
Martha’s service. But Martha was evidently thinking of the services which were incumbent on her
to render, and not governed by the pleasure of Christ.

It is most blessed to work for Christ; it is fruit-bearing. But if my work engrosses me more than
Christ, there is damage to me, and I am not working for Him. "Without Me ye can do nothing"
(John 15:5). If I am really working for Christ, and growing up into Him, then sitting at His feet,
Mary-like, is the natural posture of my soul. Whenever you find anyone serving without sitting
at His feet, you may be assured they are Martha-like. When any are sitting at His feet, hearing
His word, they will not be behind in true and pleasing service.

If you begin with serving (as many do nowadays), you will never sit at His feet; whereas if you
begin with sitting there, you will soon serve wisely, well, and acceptably. The serving quiets the
conscience, and the sitting is overlooked and neglected. Thus the enemy gains an advantage. But
it is at the sitting the conscience is more enlightened, and the pleasure and mind of the Master are
better known.

I never met with anyone making service prominent who knew what it was to sit at His feet. But,
thank God, I know indefatigable workers who enjoy sitting at His feet above any service. And it
is clear that they who sit most at His feet must be competent to serve and most in His confidence,
which, after all, is the clue to all efficient service.