JESUS SPEAKING
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10: 38 – 42.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
After eagerly welcoming Jesus in to her home for the evening, Martha began feverishly serving her new guests. In Jewish culture, the women were traditionally responsible for meal preparation. Martha therefore became angry when she saw Mary sitting at Christ’s feet, intently listening to His every word. She attempted to correct her sister, and was in turn corrected by the Lord. Martha (unlike Mary) had failed to place God first, ahead of all of her other duties.
In the 1500’s a German Monk named Martin Luther sparked the protestant reformation (a movement that sought to restore the church to biblical truths, as opposed to church traditions.) As the leader of this movement, he was a very busy man. Despite his many responsibilities, Marin Luther woke up early every morning to spend time in prayer. It has been said that on his busiest days, he would wake up even earlier, conceding that on those days he needed God even more.
Like Martin Luther, we must make God the number one priority. The distractions in life are innumerable; the busier we are, the less time we have to complete our daily tasks. On our busiest days we can act like Martha and make less time for God and more time for our chores. Or, we can choose to behave like Mary and make God our top priority. When we read scripture, pray, and seek God’s will first thing in the morning we make the right choice. When we make God the priority, everything else falls in to its proper place; and the peace of the Lord will remain in us, as He accomplishes His works through us.
“Lord Heavenly Father, help us to make You the most important thing in our lives. May life’s busiest moments never distract us from focusing on Your goodness. Teach us; love us; pour out Your Spirit in us, that we might be used to effectively accomplish Your will in this place. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 