-January 25, 2023-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“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.’”
(Luke 10:40)
Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus very much. They were among His closest friends. The three lived together in Bethany and He enjoyed spending time with them. Martha may have been the oldest, for in the our passage in Luke 10:38-42 we see that it says in at the end of verse 38, “Martha welcomed Him into her house.” Mary represents worship, Martha service, and Lazarus fellowship. These particular traits are vital to the Christian. We should actively pursue and possess each of them.
From what we know about Martha she loved the Lord very much and was very industrious; she was a perfectionist. To this end, she became distracted. There is nothing wrong with serving the Lord as long as we never lose sight of why we are serving and to whom we are serving. The church in Ephesus did so many great things: works, labor, patience, perseverance, and an insatiable intolerance of evil. Still Jesus said of them in Revelation 2:4, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” All service for the Lord should be out of love, not just duty.
Mary loved the Lord, sat at His feet, and heard His word. Jesus said to Martha, “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 10:41-42). We should not let serving become a distraction but be a great blessing. A distraction is defined as, “a thing that prevents someone from full attention to something else; extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.” This certainly fits Martha and us too.
Satan wants to distract us. Someone once said, “Satan loves distracted Christians. He doesn’t care what the something is. He just wants to turn our attention away from the things of God.” He especially loves to bring distractions at our holiest moments, in prayer, Bible reading and study, getting ready for church, in sharing the gospel with someone, and at the communion table. He wants us to lose focus, get upset and be frustrated. The lesson for us is clear: be on guard against distractions. Texts, phone calls, and emails can wait. We can’t think of two things at the same time. Even good things can distract us from better things, and better things from the best things.
Let us the strive for the right reaction to distraction. May we keep our eyes on Jesus whom we serve and remember our true motive is love for Jesus. I know I am guilty of being distracted. We must remember Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
Have a blessed and undistracted day in worship, service, and fellowship; keeping our priorities straight. Stay safe and healthy.
Staying focus on Jesus,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 