DAILY DEVOTION, June 9, 2021

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² 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, LNT).

We are all familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. Let’s talk about these two dear ladies for a few minutes. Martha’s problem is not that she is busy in the kitchen. We appreciate good cooks who work to prepare good food. Her problem is that she is fretting over details and also seems to resent Mary.

Jesus gently reminds her of the big picture. Yes, preparing food is a necessary part of life on earth. But there is something of far greater importance. Mary wants to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from Him. I am sure Mary took her place in the kitchen when necessary, but on this day, Jesus is visiting. She wants to learn from Him. The most important thing any of us can ever do is to learn from Jesus. Yes, other things are essential and must be done, but other things are to be set aside when we can learn more from Jesus.

Martha could have postponed her kitchen work for a time and joined Mary at the feet of Jesus. Instead, she allowed worry and resentment of her sister to get in the way. Mary made the correct choice. Do I?

Gracious Father, I pray that I will not allow lesser things to get in the way of that which is most important. I want to sit at the feet of Jesus by studying His Word and learning from Him. Please help me to keep my priorities in order. In His holy name, I pray, Amen.