October 15th
Today's Bible Reading
One thing
Luke 10:41-42
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
As we go through our day, we evaluate what is essential and what is extra. We examine what is needed and what is unnecessary. We consider what is important and what is trivial. Daily we prioritize our path, choosing our course for the day.
Jesus visited the home of friends. A tale of two women emerged. One who sat and one who served. One who was busy ministering to everyone’s needs and the other who was being ministered to. One that sat at the feet of Jesus, the other that stood serving Jesus.
Martha was distracted by her busyness. She was inattentive to what Jesus was saying. She sensed the need to serve Jesus rather than sit with Him. Mary was the opposite. She was seated at the feet of Jesus. She was attentive to hear his every word. Mary was present. Martha was preoccupied. Martha’s attitude diverted her attention. She was anxious. She was worried about everything she was doing to entertain Jesus. It was her attitude not her action that was in question. She appealed to Jesus to mobilize Mary to get up and help her. She saw Mary’s choice as unnecessary and unimportant in the moment. But Jesus sided with Mary. He states, “one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part . . .”
The choices we make determine the course we set. Martha chose service to Jesus while Mary chose sitting with Jesus. There is nothing wrong with Martha’s choice, we should diligently and delightfully serve our Savior. Yet in the moment it was misplaced. Here her delight turned to dissatisfaction. Her service to Jesus distracted her from Jesus. Her doing for Him kept her from being with Him. Her achieving suspended her attentiveness. Perhaps she should have been seated rather than serving. Jesus gently refocuses her, commenting that He wanted her company not her courtesy. Jesus was present. She needed to be.
We live in a busy world. A world where we can easily be distracted and become disgruntled. There are a myriad of ministries and an abundance of opportunities where we can serve our master. And we should serve the Lord with gladness. But for our service to be done with joy, there is one thing that is needed. It is the good thing that Jesus spoke of. We must sit with Him before we stand to serve Him. We need time at His table before we serve His table. Sitting must precede serving.
Mary’s choice was decisive. She resolved to recline with her redeemer. She decided to hear His words. She determined that moments with Jesus were necessary. They were needed. It was the one thing that superseded everything.
Today consider that in a world full of distractions you need time with Jesus. It’s the one thing you need! Determine to sit with Him before you spent time serving Him. Contemplate this thought this week: To be much for Jesus you must be much with Jesus. So, one thing is needed and that is to sit at His feet. Ask the Lord to help you find a time each day to sit with Him and soak in all He says, then set forth to serve Him.
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