Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And the woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted by much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 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.”
In today’s fast pace society it’s easy to get caught up in our work - especially with the invention of the smart phone - but what is the purpose of all that work if we don’t have time to spend in our relationship with God? In this passage we receive a picture of two people; Martha and Mary. Martha was rushing around busily, preparing meals and setting tables, while Mary was simply sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His words. Of course, preparing a meal for Jesus isn’t an unimportant task. Martha was trying to show her love for Jesus by serving Him, but something was missing. Although Martha busy working for the Lord, she forgot to grow her relationship with the Lord.
I believe that we can directly apply this to our lives. When we are reading the Bible or listening to it being preached, we are sitting at the feet of Jesus just like Mary. Even though it pleases God when we work hard at our jobs, Jesus said that this work will one day be taken away from us, but “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” When we sit at the feet of Jesus, that work can never fade away or be taken from us.
Although spending much time in studying the word of God might seem like an ominous task with our schedules, it must become important in our lives. It’s all a matter of priorities. If we decide to seriously study God’s word, we will have to reduce the time in other areas of our lives. Maybe instead of watching the latest episode of a series, we pick of the Bible. Maybe instead of checking up on the latest news, we pick up the Bible. Maybe instead of keeping track our social media, we pick up the Bible. We all have something that we can lay down for studying the Word of God. So let’s be like Mary, and pick the portion that will not be taken away from us.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And the woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted by much serving. And she went up to Him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 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.”
In today’s fast pace society it’s easy to get caught up in our work - especially with the invention of the smart phone - but what is the purpose of all that work if we don’t have time to spend in our relationship with God? In this passage we receive a picture of two people; Martha and Mary. Martha was rushing around busily, preparing meals and setting tables, while Mary was simply sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His words. Of course, preparing a meal for Jesus isn’t an unimportant task. Martha was trying to show her love for Jesus by serving Him, but something was missing. Although Martha busy working for the Lord, she forgot to grow her relationship with the Lord.
I believe that we can directly apply this to our lives. When we are reading the Bible or listening to it being preached, we are sitting at the feet of Jesus just like Mary. Even though it pleases God when we work hard at our jobs, Jesus said that this work will one day be taken away from us, but “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” When we sit at the feet of Jesus, that work can never fade away or be taken from us.
Although spending much time in studying the word of God might seem like an ominous task with our schedules, it must become important in our lives. It’s all a matter of priorities. If we decide to seriously study God’s word, we will have to reduce the time in other areas of our lives. Maybe instead of watching the latest episode of a series, we pick of the Bible. Maybe instead of checking up on the latest news, we pick up the Bible. Maybe instead of keeping track our social media, we pick up the Bible. We all have something that we can lay down for studying the Word of God. So let’s be like Mary, and pick the portion that will not be taken away from us.