But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10: 40-42
A friend once told me that we are responsible for the things that happen to us in life. We may spend time blaming the people around us, but we should only blame ourselves. The choices we make in life, good or bad, determine our station in life or where we end up in life.
In all that you do, place heavenly things first. Remember, the God of the universe has the last decision in your life. He has power over you in this world and in the world to come.
As you journey through life, be in the habit of making good decisions. Do not be indecisive and don’t procrastinate. Apply good sense, reason and logic to your decisions or choices. Be sure that all the choices you make have God at the center. Always use God’s standard.
In the text, we are told that Jesus visited the home of some friends – two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary spent her time at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching, while her sister, Martha, on the other hand, was busying herself around the house.
Mary was interested in spiritual things. Martha was thinking about secular or earthly things. That which Jesus was sharing with Mary, as she sat at his feet listening, was spiritual. It was more important than any preparations Martha could have made.
We often get the spiritual and the secular things mixed up. The spiritual is most important.
When there is a choice between the things of God and the things of man, choose the things of God.
You cannot go wrong by choosing the things of God. The things of God lead to eternal life. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “Today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side.”
Martha complained to Jesus about her sister’s attitude toward helping her with the preparation. Jesus explained to Martha that Mary had made the right decision.
Mind you, this is not to suggest that Martha was not interested in what Jesus had to say. She just got her priorities a little mixed up. We often get our priorities a little mixed up.
Martha was worried about earthly things while her sister was interested in heavenly things. There is nothing wrong with earthly things. However, don’t let them deprive you of heavenly things.
That is the point Jesus was making to Martha when he said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” Yes, when you have God’s word planted in your heart and you live by that word, you are safe. You have it all, life everlasting.
Former first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”
Yes, every day, we make choices, some major and some minor. Even the minor ones are important.
The choices you make will determine the course of your life. Our priorities are mixed up when we choose the things of the world over the things of God. Therefore, make right choices, particularly those that relate to salvation. Amen.
• Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at the Lutheran Church of Nassau, 119 John F. Kennedy Dr can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas; or telephone 426-9084; website: www.nassaulutheranchurch.org.
