Pulled in Different Directions
Today’s Verse:
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. ~Luke 10:40
Have you ever had so much going on at one time that you felt like you were being pulled in different directions? That’s what the phrase “cumbered about much serving” means. Martha was doing so many household chores that she became overwhelmed and did not know what the most important thing was that she should have been doing. Let us see, this morning, the importance of knowing the necessary and the ability to prioritize.
We see the contrast.
Our Lord Jesus entered the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This was a family that He had a close affinity with. We are not told this in the passage, but it appears that Jesus came unannounced to visit them. We see Martha receiving Jesus into the house and frantically busy with much serving. It implies that she is cleaning, preparing food for a meal, and trying to listen to Jesus teach. Mary is sitting at His feet and attentively hearing the Word of God from Jesus. Martha is serving and Mary is sitting. Martha is occupied with her chores while Mary is occupied with Christ. We see two sisters in the same house giving different attention to Jesus.
We see the complaint.
Martha is frustrated that she is doing much serving while Mary is sitting, listening to Jesus. Martha is distracted from focusing on Jesus because of her much serving. She feels pulled in different directions and becomes anxious that she is serving alone. So, she complains to Jesus about this. She even asks, “Don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” She is complaining that Mary has abandoned her. She requests Jesus to tell Mary to help her. For Martha, she lost her joy in serving. She did not realize that she was worshiping what she was doing instead of Whom she was doing it for. Amid being so busy, she was distracted from the presence of our Lord.
We see the correction.
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things....” Our Lord corrected Martha about her anxiety. He told her that she was careful, or overly concerned, about what she was doing instead of being concerned about what she was supposed to be. He corrected her about her agitation. She was troubled about many things. She was agitated that she had too many things to do. She was agitated that she was doing it by herself. She was agitated that Jesus was not acknowledging her or making Mary help her. Like Martha, we can become distracted by our busyness and not have time for the Lord. We can become distracted with our work and forget about our worship.
We see the crucial.
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” There are many important things to do in life. The most important and crucial thing is making sure that Jesus is preeminent in our life. Priorities in life are based on the choices we make. Either we choose to put Jesus first, or we choose to put other things first. Jesus teaches us how to know what the priority in life is. “Mary hath chosen that good part.” The good part is realizing that Jesus is deserving of all our devotion and love. Jesus said, “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” The one thing we must do is not allow ourselves to be distracted and pulled in different directions. The one thing is Jesus only. Are you distracted and being pulled? Stop everything and get your devotion on Jesus.
Have a devoted God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Genesis 27-29