Priorities

August 30, 2010

A woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “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 10:38b-42

Mary was listening; Martha was distracted. We’ve all been Martha – we invite Jesus into the house, but then we get distracted with preparations and lesser things. At some point we need to quit the activity and engage in what matters most.

C.S. Lewis said it this way: “Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever.”

Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33

These verses pull us out of the tyranny of the urgent and point us toward the perspective of eternity. Loving God and connecting with Him is the best and most important part of life: thinking about God, talking to God, talking about God, loving God, seeking God, worshiping God, and magnifying God.

“Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her”
(Luke 10:42b). The “good part” is all about a relationship with the Creator; then it’s about impacting people. First, we become sensitive to God’s voice, receptive to His prompting, and aware of what matters most to Him. Then—when we have rivers of living water flowing out of us, when we are alive and present and loving—others will want that too! Let’s be like Martha and invite Jesus in; then let’s be like Mary and sit at His feet.

Press on!
Pastor Jeff

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.