Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” —Luke 10:38-42, NKJV
Of course, it’s absolutely essential for us to embrace Christ’s mandate to reach out to people and to touch the nations. But this heart of service must be secondary, not primary. The reversal of these priorities was Martha’s problem. When Mary and Martha were in their little conflict, Martha was not wrong because she wanted to be a servant. However, her priorities were upside down because her natural self, her natural abilities and interests, compelled her to be a worker before she was a lover. In fact, her work distracted her from being a lover (v. 40). When I see a worker I say to myself, “Well, he’s halfway there.” But I also understand that such an individual will be a much more effective worker if he or she first becomes a lover.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
Father, so often in my spiritual service to You I respond like Martha, focusing on the work of the ministry. Help me never to forget that I am first to be a “lover,” then to be a “worker.”
Many individuals are so focused on enriching
their earthly circumstances and pursuing personal
comforts that they never get serious about
becoming a worker, let alone a lover.
