A few days ago, as I was busily chipping away at my “to-do” list, my 5 year old son asked me, “Mom, would you rather sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him or be up cooking for Him?” He had obviously recently learned the story of Mary and Martha found in the New Testament and was churning over it in his mind. My son is prone to doing such things and then calls his mother out on the subject. I was, as usual, caught off-guard by his question and began to examine my heart.
The story is found in Luke 10: “Now as they were traveling along, He [Jesus] entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
I have heard this story a number of times and each time I have found myself in the position of Martha. Too busy to sit at the feet of Jesus and spend time with Him. Too busy to realize that my need is not in activity and completing a list of tasks, but in listening, learning and being in the presence of the One who most desires my time. Mary chose to sit at the feet of her Lord…the “one thing that is necessary.” More than anything else, Jesus longs for me to spend time with Him, nurturing my relationship with Him. He desires for me to desire Him, to desire time with Him. He doesn’t want me to spend time with Him because I think I need to or have to or because someone tells me I should. He doesn’t want me to be with Him in hopes that He’ll bless me with ‘stuff’. Jesus wants me to spend quality time at His feet because I love Him. He misses me and you when we stand Him up!
Now lets take a quick look at Martha….was she wrong in wanting to serve Jesus and to please Him? Service is not wrong. Jesus called us to serve just as He served: “just at the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28. He just doesn’t want my service to replace my being with Him, knowing Him, growing in relationship with Him. First I must know Him and know His heart and as my life and heart begins to transform into His image, my life will naturally be filled with service to others. My service is supposed to be the direct result of the time I spend sitting at the feet of Jesus. So I am once again reminded: don’t forget “the good part”… sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus, we love You and desire You and pray that You will overwhelm our hearts with the desire to simply sit at Your feet. We ask Your forgiveness for standing You up when You long for nothing more than our time. We pray that You will show us who You are as we spend time in Your presence. Thank You for loving us so much that You want an intimate relationship with us. We pray Jesus, that our service to You and to others will be an outpouring of the time we have spent with You. We ask that You will show us the good part, Lord. Amen.
by: Jill Johnson
that’s good stuff!!! Thank you for reminding me how much my father longs to sit with me and know me!