Day 4 · Week 1
Passage: Luke 10:38–42
Memory Verse: Matthew 7:24
Luke 10:41–42 (KJV)
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary and Martha both loved Jesus.
When Jesus came to their home, Martha became busy serving. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to His word.
Martha was not doing something evil. She was serving a guest, and that was a good thing. But eventually the work around her became so important that she lost sight of the One who was with her.
Jesus gently told her, “thou art careful and troubled about many things.”
That description can sound very familiar.
There are many things in life that deserve our attention. Work needs to be done. Meals need to be prepared. Problems need to be solved. People need our help. None of those things are necessarily wrong.
But good things can still distract us from the best thing.
Mary recognized something Martha had temporarily forgotten: Jesus was there. She chose to be near Him and hear His words.
Jesus said, “one thing is needful.” He was not teaching that responsibilities do not matter. He was teaching us that nothing else can take His place.
We can become so occupied with what needs to be done that we forget the One we need most.
Mary's example invites us to stop long enough to listen.
Why can good and necessary things sometimes make it harder for us to pay attention to Jesus?
What tends to occupy my thoughts so completely that I have difficulty hearing what God is saying to me?
Ask Jesus to help your family recognize what matters most and to choose, like Mary, to stay close to Him and listen to His Word.