DON’T be DISTRACTED with ‘GOOD’ ACTIVITIES!
October
25 Bible Reading: Luke Chapters 10-12
DON’T be DISTRACTED with ‘GOOD’ ACTIVITIES!
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
10:40-42)
When Jesus
visited the home of Martha and Mary, we see that Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and
heard His word, while Martha became distracted by her preparations for her
beloved Rabbi (vv. 39-40). Martha’s complaint to Jesus indicates that she was
irritated that her sister was not helping her. Jesus’ tender reply is evident
in the double address of ‘Martha, Martha’
(6:46; 8:24; 13:34; 22:31) as He observed that Martha was anxiety-ridden over
ordinary matters. On the other hand, Mary was a silent example. She said
nothing, but did what was right by devoting herself to Jesus’ teaching. Jesus
valued Mary’s affection above Martha’s service!
Based upon
this incident, Charles R. Erdman writes: “While
the Master does appreciate all that we undertake for Him, He knows that our
first need is to sit at His feet and learn His will; then in our tasks we shall
be calm and peaceful and kindly”.
The lesson
to be learned from this true story is that we
must choose our relationship with God over anything else. C. S. Lewis has
one remarked, “You can’t get second
things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first
things first”. The first thing
above everything else is our relationship
with God. There is nothing wrong with serving in His vineyard but we must
take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His Word. It is important to
serve God and serve others, but it is even more important to delight God by
spending quality time with Him alone!
Like Martha,
we are called on to strike a balance between faithful, diligent service in our
day-to-day responsibilities, and a constant attitude of dependence on the Lord
by maintaining close relationship with Him. Are
we so busy serving Him that we have no time to love Him and listen to Him?
