One Thing Needed
"Only one thing is needed, and Mary has found it, do not take it away from her."
A sweet lady from my church reminded me of this story this morning as I received an encouraging message from her.
I think this story gets interpreted wrong often, Mary is glorified and Martha is shunned and made to look so bad. But this story in essence parallels with what God revealed to me in yesterday's post about being still.
I believe both of these woman had hearts devoted to God, this is what makes life counts, and how we live above the sun. (Just had to throw that in there.) I think the reason we dis Martha is because we read that Jesus praised Mary, and had to bring Martha back to earth. She had exploded into a frenzy of anxiety, and worry. But consider the story. All we women would be! You've got Jesus and His disciples (all men) at your house, and some of us feel like we have to cook and host like Southern Living Magazine, we have naturally nurture and do for people especially Jesus. But Mary discerned. There is a time for everything under the sun, Solomon writes. In this instance this was a time to be at the feet of Jesus when there wasn't a swarm of people all around Jesus. Jesus came to their house that day seeking relationship with them. Mary saw that being in the presence of the Messiah would be all the meat, bread, and water she could ever need. She was being filled. But Martha got snappy, she didn't discern the need to be still and filled in His presence, she was working hard! Many of us do that. We serve, and serve the Lord, we do 10 different ministries sometimes, we are working for the Lord. That's good, we are taught to be His servants. It was good Martha was cooking. Her downfall was snapping at Mary, and not considering the presence of Jesus. There is a time to serve, and there is a time to learn and be still. We can get busy doing things FOR the Lord, that we fail to spend time WITH Him.
There is only one thing needed, and that is God himself. Seek Him, and you will find Him.
A sweet lady from my church reminded me of this story this morning as I received an encouraging message from her.
I think this story gets interpreted wrong often, Mary is glorified and Martha is shunned and made to look so bad. But this story in essence parallels with what God revealed to me in yesterday's post about being still.
I believe both of these woman had hearts devoted to God, this is what makes life counts, and how we live above the sun. (Just had to throw that in there.) I think the reason we dis Martha is because we read that Jesus praised Mary, and had to bring Martha back to earth. She had exploded into a frenzy of anxiety, and worry. But consider the story. All we women would be! You've got Jesus and His disciples (all men) at your house, and some of us feel like we have to cook and host like Southern Living Magazine, we have naturally nurture and do for people especially Jesus. But Mary discerned. There is a time for everything under the sun, Solomon writes. In this instance this was a time to be at the feet of Jesus when there wasn't a swarm of people all around Jesus. Jesus came to their house that day seeking relationship with them. Mary saw that being in the presence of the Messiah would be all the meat, bread, and water she could ever need. She was being filled. But Martha got snappy, she didn't discern the need to be still and filled in His presence, she was working hard! Many of us do that. We serve, and serve the Lord, we do 10 different ministries sometimes, we are working for the Lord. That's good, we are taught to be His servants. It was good Martha was cooking. Her downfall was snapping at Mary, and not considering the presence of Jesus. There is a time to serve, and there is a time to learn and be still. We can get busy doing things FOR the Lord, that we fail to spend time WITH Him.
There is only one thing needed, and that is God himself. Seek Him, and you will find Him.
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