More Mary, Less Martha!

 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, NKJV)

Martha was a busy woman, so busy in fact, that she was too busy for Jesus. She had the Lord sitting in her home speaking the word and she was so distracted with her serving that she didn't realize the Lord wasn't there for her hospitality, he was there for her edification. How many of us are so preoccupied with work that we for the Lord that it sometimes comes at the expense of time spent with the Lord.

Let's first understand that I am in no way saying we shouldn't be working for the Lord. We all responsibilities for the Kingdom of God that we must fulfill, but these responsibilities should never be a substitute for spending time with God. We should never be so consumed by doing God's work that we never take the time to sit at his feet in prayer, worship, and meditation, allowing ourselves to be ministered to by him.

So today, let's set to the side some of the work that consumes so much of our time and choose the good part that Mary chose. Today, tomorrow, the day after, and every day after that, let's set aside some time in which we will do nothing other than sit at the feet of our Lord and allow him to minister to us. Every one of us who are called by the name Christian have welcomed the Lord into our house; let's not be too busy for him when he enters. From now on, be more like Mary and less like Martha.

Pray for today: Lord, too often we are more like Mary than Martha; we are busy with the tasks that we think will honor you. Help us to learn to take the time away from our busyness to sit at your feet. Help us to listen to your words and to choose the better part for ourselves. Amen.