But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part,
which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42
This is the story where Mary and Martha
have Jesus as a guest in their home
and Martha is serving and she thinks Mary should help
Jesus never told Mary to help
He told Martha that Mary chose what is right
and that that shall never be taken from her
How did Mary know what was the good part?
The Pearl of Great Price
The Treasure in the Field
Mary realized Jesus was someone special,
not just any old guest, that He was The Messiah,
that He was worthy of all her dedication and time and affection
She sat at his feet
She didn’t care about the food or what was or wasn’t getting done
She wanted to absorb Jesus’ presence
Hard to understand in the world
Things are coming at us all day long
And if we don’t do them, they’re not getting done
Priorities
If Jesus is our priority, we are in the right mode
And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18
What that means for each of us is different
Not always easy to figure out
Keeping Jesus at the center of our existence is the best place to be
He will guide us
Jesus appreciates it so much when we choose to spend time with Him
The cumbersome demands of man’s obligation are hard to break free from
While we are exhorted to be servants to others,
that doesn’t mean we neglect time with our Lord
He deserves our first fruits and our day
He deserves our adoration above any earthly duties
While that is not always possible as things come up,
if that is our desire, and we choose Him, He will make a way
That might mean giving up some worldly possessions or positions
or it might even mean giving up some people
I do not know what it means for you
Only Jesus can make that clear to you
That is between you and Him
We have a choice to make,
whether to be like Mary or to be like Martha