“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”-Luke 10:38-42
Some of the best advice I received when I was fresh in ministry was, “Don’t get so busy doing the work of the Lord that you forget the Lord of the work.” I have held firm to those words and try to bring them into focus everytime I find myself getting so busy in ministry.
The words that were shared came from the scripture found in Luke 10. Mary and Martha were about to host Jesus, the Son of God, and their brother’s best friend. He was a very important guest.
Martha was busy doing all the house work. She was dusting the furniture and pulling out the wet mop. She was prepping the meal and getting things ready for Jesus to have a wonderful stay and, hopefully, praise the hosts.
Mary might have been helping in the beginning, but when Jesus showed up, she was instantly at the feet of Jesus listening to His words and soaking up the time with Him.
Martha got a little upset as most siblings would when there are tasks to accomplish, but the other siblings take off to do something else.
Jesus told Martha to calm down and realize that her work was important, but consuming her so much that she was missing her time with the One who matters most.
Who are you in this story?
Have you been doing so much that you’re missing the time with the Lord? Have you allowed yourself to worry about trivial things that overwhelm you, which hinders you from spending time at the feet of Jesus?
Martha wasn’t wrong in wanting to work, she just allowed it to be more important than Jesus. Mary had her priorities straight, she worked as long as she could, but could not resist the opportunity to sit and listen to Jesus.
We all have to have a balance, but we have to know Who should come first in our lives, and the Lord of the work is more valuable than the work itself. It is only through Him the work can be accomplished anyway, so lay at His feet to find renewal.
May we step away from our busy lives to rest with our Savior. May we find peace at the feet of Christ when our tasks become overwhelming.
Peace and blessings friends.
QUESTION: How do you find time to focus on Jesus in your busy life?
Bobby Benavides 