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." 41But 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." Luke 10:40-41 (ESV)
If we are honest, many of us can relate to Martha’s story. It is so easy to get caught in the web of serving others, that personally; we miss out on meaningful fellowship with Christ. We can get so caught up in serving, busyness, and distractions, that we miss the opportunity of having fellowship with our loving Lord. When considering Martha’s interchange with Jesus, notice the effect of her distractions upon her heart. First, she becomes negative, secondly jealous of her sisters time away with Jesus. I can just hear the thoughts exploding in her mind! “It’s not fair; I am all alone, abandoned again, what’s wrong with these people!” “Even Jesus has forgotten me, and I thought he actually cared!”
I am reminded of a passage from Andrew Murray, “The first and chief need of our Christian life is, Fellowship with God. The Divine life within us comes from God, and it is entirely dependent upon Him. As I need every moment afresh the air to breathe, as the sun every moment afresh sends down its light, so it is only in direct living communication with God that my soul can be strong.
The manna of one day was corrupt when the next day came. I must every day have fresh grace from heaven, and I obtained it only in direct waiting upon God Himself. Begin each day by tarrying before God, and letting Him touch you. Take time to meet with God.
To this end, let your first act in your devotion be a setting yourself still before God. In prayer, or worship, everything depends upon God taking the chief place. I must bow quietly before him in humble faith and adoration, speaking thus within my heart: “God is. God is near. God is love, longing to communicate Himself to me. God the Almighty One, who worketh all in all, is even now waiting to work in me, and make Himself known.” Take time, till you know God is very near. --The Deeper Christian Life, Page 2
Lord God, it is so easy to be distracted from that which is excellent by doing what is only good. What could be more important than sitting at your feet and enjoying your presence? I must confess there have been too many times when I have entered into Martha’s story. Even when I do try to take the time to sit at your feet, I find myself easily distracted, “anxious and troubled about many things.” How foolish it is for me to expect to walk in the fullness of Your Spirit when adequate time is not spent in fellowship with you each day! Help me to yield more fully to the drawing of your Holy Spirit. Help me to grow in my hunger and my thirst for you. Help me to put first things first to seek that which is excellent. Amen
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