Devotion 11/11 - Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.
And a 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 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.”  
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.”

Luke 10:38-42

 

Guest Devotion Writer – Pastor Nate Wolcott

 

One of the biggest things that keeps me from spending time with God in prayer is business.  When there’s a list of things that I think needs to get done, the great temptation is to get off my knees and on to work.  Martha apparently had this same issue.  The food had to get served, the duvet had to be smoothed out on the guest bed, and the pillows needed to be plumped and arranged… or whatever hospitality looked like in those days.  Martha was anxious and troubled.

 

I get that.  I know that Greer and I can get anxious and troubled whenever we have someone coming over.  Our house alternates between orderly and toddler typhoon.  Orderly takes hours.  Toddler happens in the time it takes to nuke your coffee.  It’s not just house.  It’s job!  We get up and start doing, but we are not dwelling.  We aren’t taking time to be with God, unless we’re careful to choose that over getting a head start on all the things we think we need to get done. 

 

Mary knew that all the things Martha was stressed out about needed to get done.  They both knew of those needs.  Martha asks Jesus, don’t you get it?  I need helping doing all these important things!  Jesus tells her where she’s wrong.  There’s one thing, he tells her, that is so much more important than the other important things that it might as well be the ONLY thing.  He calls it the one necessary thing.  Spending time at his feet, being in relationship with him.  Other things are perhaps important, but only fellowship with Christ is necessary. 

 

If we let the important things crowd out the necessary things, we have discarded the better portion.  In God’s eyes, faithfulness in relationship is more critical than crossing tasks off of our punchlist.  It’s a better portion. 

 

Are you choosing the better portion?

 

Come as you are, but by all means COME.

 

For the King who wants my heart before my work,

Pastor Nate Wolcott