Fellowship with Jesus

38)The Lord and his disciples were traveling along and came to a village. When they got there, a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39)She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40)Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!" 41)The Lord answered, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42)but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her."

Two sisters, Mary and Martha, were busy preparing for Jesus’ visit. Upon His arrival, the first sister turned her attention to Him while the second was distracted by the preparations (v. 40). She became agitated that Mary was no longer helping. We may be thinking Martha is right—if there is still work to be done, her sister should not be sitting down. Then we hear Jesus’ perspective. Observing that Martha was worried and upset about many things when only one thing was needed, He said Mary had chosen what was better (v. 42).

There are some important lessons to be learned from this story. First, to have fellowship with Jesus, we may have to leave some things undone. Jesus knew how hard the women had been working and how much Martha longed to finish the tasks. But their greatest need was to spend time with Him. Their focus was to be on listening, learning, and interacting with Him.

The second lesson is that our choice to forgo an activity may be misunderstood. Martha certainly didn’t comprehend her sister’s decision. What’s more, if we fail to take time with Him, there may be unpleasant consequences. Martha’s distraction led to worry and agitation. Jesus invited her to choose the better way—namely, to be with Him.

Establishing a habit of communing with the Lord is essential to our spiritual health. Connecting with Him regularly will sharpen our focus on what is most important and help us separate what is good from God’s best. Even in our daily work, we can learn how to maintain an awareness of Him
 
BE BLESSED!
 
DAWN