July 19- Luke 10:39-40

THE VERSE

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.
~Luke 10:39-40

THE THOUGHT

How often, in our Christian lives, are we like Martha! The busyness of life, even the busyness of ministry or church involvement, can turn our attention away from what matters more. We can begin to find ourselves like Martha, who "was distracted with much serving."

Good things like serving become a distraction when they keep us away from better things. In Martha's case, the good thing of serving was keeping her away from the very best thing- sitting at Jesus' feet. After all, Martha was serving Jesus. She was seeing that His needs were met, that He was comfortable, so that His teaching time could run smoothly. Nevertheless, Jesus corrected Martha's attitude, but commended Mary's. This teaches us an invaluable lesson: there is something more important than a servant's heart.

A servant's heart is a vital characteristic of a Christian. Serving Christ and serving others should always be a priority in our lives, our hearts, and our schedules. However, servanthood is not what is most important. More important that serving is worshipping. Jesus commands us to serve Him and to serve others, but more important to Him is a heart like Mary's- a heart that loves to sit at His feet and listen to Him. Cultivate a heart like Mary's-- a love for His Word, a love for His presence-- and service will flow naturally out of that.

Who are you like more- Mary, or Martha?

THE PRAYER

Lord, Forgive me for my distraction. I confess that even the good things in my life keep me away from the best thing, You. Even my service can become sin when it pulls me away from fellowship with You. Forgive me for serving You without You, for relying only on myself and my resources to try to serve others, when I should first be sitting at Your feet listening to You. Holy Spirit, change my heart and give me a heart like Mary's.

EXTENDED READING

Luke 10:38-42
Psalm 27:1-4

THE QUOTE

"Obedience is really not as burdensome as it seems at first blush. We are doing nothing more than falling head over heels in love with the everlasting Lover of our souls." ~Richard Foster