A few years ago a young lady was walking through a courtyard at a local university on her way to her next class. The courtyard was closed on all four sides by multi-story buildings, and although the walk was only forty yards long, she died before she completed her walk. The investigation found that a faulty high-pressure tank had developed a massive leak and had flooded the courtyard with nitrogen gas. Although nitrogen makes up most of the air we breathe, the young lady had died because the nitrogen had displaced all of the oxygen she needed to live. Things that are not bad in and of themselves can prevent us from receiving things that are much more important or even critical.

When Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, as recorded in Luke 10:38-41, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and "heard His word" while Martha was consumed by the practical necessities of providing for her guests. Although Martha was about the business of serving others -- the world needs people like Martha to keep the rest of us balanced -- Jesus gently reminded her that there are some things more important than serving.

The mistake Martha made is a common one. In fact, in our churches today we hear more about relationships, moral living and servanthood than we do about the gospel of Christ. The foundation of our teaching is now "WWJD" - What Would Jesus Do - rather than "WHJD" - What Has Jesus Done. Striving for personal holiness or having the heart of a servant are profoundly Biblical principles, but they are not the gospel. If we stress these out-workings of the gospel to the exclusion of teaching that stresses man's total inability to save himself and the offer of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, we displace the very essence of the gospel that saves. What we have is spiritual asphyxiation - a spiritual death that comes from doing good things and replacing the One who is good. Jesus said "follow me" not "follow my example". Let us refresh our souls daily with the understanding of the source of our salvation, and then strive for holiness, serve others, and allow Him to enrich our relationships.