“And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with 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.’” – Luke 10:39-40
Two sisters were devoted to Jesus. When He came to their home, one immediately went to work doing everything necessary to host a crowd. The other sat at his feet and listened to Him. When Martha became resentful and asked Jesus to intervene, He praised Mary for choosing to listen and learn. He didn’t deny that there were important things to do. He understood that somebody needed to do them. But what was most important in that moment? Jesus praised Mary for choosing to take some time to be still, listen, and learn from Him.
In Christian life, our devotion to Jesus can drive us to become very, very busy. There’s always more that we can do for Jesus. God has prepared good works for each of us to do. These works are good, important, significant, and satisfying. Our desire to do them can sometimes cause us to become like Martha. We can become so focused on our Kingdom “to do” lists that we don’t make time to simply be still, sit at the feet of Jesus, enjoy His presence, and learn from Him.
Do you consistently make time with Jesus each day? Do you slow down to read the Bible, pray, and simply enjoy Jesus? Do you take time to quietly talk to Him, listen for His voice, and learn from His Word, the Bible? Do you think about Him and what you’ve read, rejoicing that He loves you and died for you? If you don’t prioritize time with the Lord, it simply won’t happen amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life. Set aside time to be like Mary. Guard that time and enjoy it deeply. There’s plenty of other time throughout the day to work hard like Martha. #FollowJesus