The Good Portion

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 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.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

I have taught on this subject before, but it still serves as a good reminder to many of us. And yes, this one speaks to the “Martha” in all of us.

Let’s first commend Martha for what she did right: she welcomed Christ in her home and she desired to serve Him. These are two qualities ALL of us need – first, to welcome Christ in our home or more importantly, our lives; second, we should desire to serve Christ.

So, where did Martha go wrong? In a place where many of us go wrong: where the serving becomes more important than Jesus. How many of you have taken on too many responsibilities at church and forget to just spend time with God because you are too busy? I have – it’s a constant battle, and it has become extremely challenging since I’ve been in the ministry. Doing for Christ will NEVER replace being with Christ.

Now, don’t go overboard and swing completely to the other side – we still need to DO, but the doing must be influenced by the time we spend with Christ. We learn this in Luke 8. (Luke 8:21(ESV) – But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”)

So, it comes down to being both Mary and Martha: first sit at Jesus' feet, then go and serve.