“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
Luke 10:41-42
Martha was choosing between serving the Master or learning from the Master, which are both our callings, but which one better? The problem with Martha is not her serving, but rather that she is worried and distracted.
Martha’s worry and distraction prevent her from being truly present with Jesus. She has missed out on the “one thing needed” for true hospitality, which is listening to your guest.
Sometimes we are so busy trying to provide for our families, meeting deadlines, and accomplishing activities that we often forget to pause for a while and listen to God. We often make immediate decisions without even asking God if we’re doing the right thing. All these because we are too worried and distracted about a lot of things, fearing what would happen tomorrow or in the near future, leaving us with no time to spend in the presence of the Lord.
You can’t add a single day by worrying…
Both listening and doing, receiving God’s Word and serving others, are vital to the Christian life, just as inhaling and exhaling are to breathing. Worry is an insult to God, showing lack of trust. Peace, especially in serious circumstances, demonstrates our trust in God, who made the world into existence. We work as unto the Lord, and we rest in Him for the results.
The best way for us to handle the sin of work crossing over to worry is to stop, pray with thanksgiving, and ask God to take captive our every thought and make it obedient to Christ. Sometimes this has to be repeated many times to regain peace.
The choices you make every day matter. Set your priorities.
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