Tag Archives: Mary and Martha

The Most Important Thing You’ll Do Today

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I was reminded of a simple truth this week in my morning time. It’s a truth I know but one I need to be reminded of again and again. And that truth is this: time with Jesus is the most important part of my day. In fact, if I get nothing else done but spend time with Jesus, I’ve accomplished all I need to for the day for it to be considered a “success,” according to Jesus. We learn this lesson from Martha.

This was at one of our favorite coffee shops in Lancaster, where we did our morning time routine.

Martha’s Distraction

Martha wasn’t a bad person; she was doing really good things. She was making food for guests, cleaning her home, and being hospitable. After all, you can’t have company without doing all those things. And yet, Luke says she was distracted by her many tasks.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

Luke 10:38-40 NLT

Martha’s Complaint

Martha comes to Jesus to complain about the unfairness of her situation. She’s been left alone to prepare everything while her sister simply sits as Jesus’ feet. I get it. As a person often running an event or preparing my home or food for company, I get it. She was probably sweating, working furiously to get both her home and a meal ready for company. And this wasn’t just any company; this was Jesus coming to visit. And when she’s at her wit’s end, she looks around for her sister because she needs help. She finds her sister…not helping. Mary as the audacity to be sitting, listening to Jesus teach, as if there’s nothing to be done. Martha’s had enough and goes right to Jesus.

Jesus’ Rebuke

Jesus sees and knows all this, but He rebukes her gently and reminds her what’s really important.

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 NLT

The CSB, which is the Bible I’m currently studying, puts it this way.

The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 1041-42 CSB

Martha’s Distraction

Martha was distracted. She had so many tasks to accomplish, more than she had time for. She was worried and upset about many things. Sound familiar? This is an every day thing for me. There’s too much in a day to ever possibly accomplish. There are bills to pay, housework to start, piles of laundry to fold and put away, work projects to complete, another meal to prepare, dirty dishes in the sink, a phone call I’ve been putting off, paperwork to complete, homework to check, dessert to bake for church on Sunday….and on and on the list goes. If you’re anything like me, all of this crashes down around me around oh, one or two in the morning.

I wake up in a cold sweat thinking of all the things I need to do, all the ways I’m a failure, and all the things I’m not doing right. Shame and regret wrap themselves like a noose around my neck, and I can’t catch a full breath.

I wonder if Martha was feeling all this when she came to Jesus. Could Jesus see the overwhelm, the helplessness at getting it all done, weighing her down? Of course, He could. Not only that, He knew her every thought.

Jesus’ Answer

Jesus’ answer to her stress, her frustration, her distraction was this: “There is only one thing to worry about.” What’s crazy is that He doesn’t even tell her what that one thing is. Instead, He essentially points to Mary and says, “She’s figured it out; she’s doing it.” Jesus was often ambiguous in His teaching, and this lesson is no different. Maybe Martha’s eyes darted to Mary, still seated at Jesus’ feet, after Jesus said these words. Possibly, just looking at Jesus and remembering Who He was triggered a response, and she understood His teaching. The answer was found in the action. The action was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. That was the most important thing.

Most Important Thing Today

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of life, too long of a to-do list, shame and regret, remember the words of Jesus. “One thing is necessary; only one thing is worth being concerned about.” That one thing is spending time with Jesus. If you spent time with Him today, then you did what He wants you to do today. You got the most important thing in. Everything else is just extra credit.

When the stress builds, and you feel the overwhelm of it all, remember to carve out some time to sit with Jesus, to talk to Him, and read His word. When you do, you’ll find the grace and strength to face the rest of your day.

More Encouragement

Need help getting a morning time routine started? Check out our free morning time routine guide or read my post, Jumpstart Your Morning Time Routine.

When Good Gets in the Way of Best

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We can be the most productive people on the planet when it comes to avoiding something we don’t want to do. Have you ever noticed that? When I have a book deadline, and I really need to be writing, I can find so many things that need to be done before I get to actually writing. They can be good things, but they still keep me from what I’m supposed to be doing.

Martha and Her Good Deeds

In the story of Mary and Martha, we see first-hand how this plays out. We know that Mary chose to spend time with Jesus, but Martha was too busy. We’re hard on Martha, but have you ever had people over? I can sympathize with Martha. When you’re the one hosting the party or get-together, there’s a lot to do. She needed to make sure everything was ready to go, and she needed her sister’s help to pull it off.

Martha settled for good when she could have had best. Jesus, the Son of God, was coming to her house to visit with her. She could sit next to him and learn from Him. What an amazing opportunity! But she chose to do something good–cooking for Jesus. That was good, really good. How many people got to feed Jesus and take care of Him when He came over? Yet, this good thing kept her from the best thing–spending time learning from Jesus.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

Luke 10:38-40

Distracted by Good Things

One of the ways Satan manipulates us is by sidetracking us with good things. Those things, in and of themselves are not bad. In fact, they’re really good. But when something keeps us from doing what we know we need to do, it becomes a bad thing.

Over the years, people always come to Matt and I with the reasons they missed church. We really don’t need to know, but people feel like they have to confess it to us. So many times, it’s not bad things that keep people away. It’s good things, but it kept them from coming to church.

Settling for Good

I’ve had a few times recently when different people have reached out to me because they feel discouraged or frustrated with life, and yet, they miss church or small group. Or they can’t seem to find time to read their Bible. They’re so discouraged, and yet they don’t go to the place where they can find encouragement and hope. They’re so lonely, and yet, they don’t come to a place where they can fellowship and be encouraged.

Satan keeps us distracted with good things. Instead of going for best, we settle for good. All the while we’re missing out on God’s best for us. We spend Sunday morning with that person who’s having a hard time, thinking we’re being a blessing to them. In reality, the best thing we could have done was go to church so we could get filled up. Then go visit them. We skip our morning time routine because we want to get more accomplished in our morning. Yet, everything falls apart around us because we didn’t spend time with God; and we end up getting nothing accomplished anyway.

As you’re moving through life, watch out for those distractions that Satan sends that are good but not the best. Hold out for God’s best and stay focused on following His leading. He’ll never lead you wrong.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out Lisa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes.

When You Don’t Feel Loved

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text from God saying your are loved

There’s a story in the New Testament that sort of throws into question everything we understand about Jesus and who we perceive him to be. We see him healing the blind and lame, encouraging people, loving the unlovable. And then everything is flipped on its head when we see that his friends ask him to come heal their brother, and he ignores their request.

Jesus’ Friendship with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

No one can argue about the fact that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He was friends with all of them. We get the understanding that he fellowshipped with them often. They were comfortable with him enough to demand why he hadn’t been there when Lazarus died.

And yet, when Jesus receives the news that Lazarus is dying, he doesn’t go. Mary and Martha send word to him, and he chooses not to go to them. He could have gone and healed him, kept him from dying in the first place. But he doesn’t. We see that from John 11.

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

John 11:4-6 NLT

Martha’s Accusation

Jesus finally decides to go to Mary and Martha. They are understandably upset and confused. Martha meets Jesus and stares into his eyes as she accuses, “If you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” That’s how Martha tackled it–straight on. We know the rest of the story. We know that Jesus brings Lazarus back to life, but Mary and Martha didn’t know that ending. They only knew that Jesus failed to come when they needed him, and now their brother was dead.

A Powerful Lesson about Being Loved

There is a powerful lesson to learn here, one that’s not for the faint of heart. It’s a lesson that all of us will learn the hard way in this life.

What God does or doesn’t do in your life is not an indicator of his love for you.

Take a moment to reread those words. Now let’s unpack those seemingly harsh words. We have a basic understanding of God that is based on a one-to-one ratio. If God loves me, he will be good to me. If God blesses me, he loves me. If he provides for my needs, he loves me. When good things are happening in my life, God loves me.

Our Understanding of God’s Love

We also believe the opposite in this one-to-one ratio. If bad things are happening in my life, God doesn’t love me. If he’s not blessing me or providing for my needs, he doesn’t love me.

Yet, we can see from this story, that that’s not always how God works. Jesus loved Mary and Martha deeply, and yet he allowed them to go through this horrible tragedy. He didn’t change it for them or make it any easier. He had a different plan, a better one; though it was not necessarily a less painful plan.

God is Greater than Our Feelings

We have to remember that how God works in our lives is not an indicator of his love for us. How we feel is not an indicator of his love for us. Our feelings will never be an indicator of God’s love for us, because feelings change all the time. God’s love never changes. I love this verse from I John.

Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

I John 3:20

God is greater than our feelings. It may seem like God has forgotten you; it may feel like he’s so very far away. But never doubt his love for you. The moment you begin to doubt God’s love, Satan gets a foothold and comes barging in, ready to wreak havoc in your life. After all, he’s the one whispering lies to you about God’s love.

Reminders of Being Loved

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.

Psalm 143:8 NLT

For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 NLT

We love each other because he loved us first.

I John 4:19

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

I don’t know what you’re walking through today, but don’t ever doubt God’s love for you. Sometimes, when it feels that he is so far away, he’s actually working on your behalf. He’s making a better, a greater plan, one that you can’t see just yet. Trust in his love today; trust that he’s bringing everything together in your life to make it work out for his glory and your good.

More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out my post, Living Loved or check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life.