Read through the Gospels in a Year: Luke 10:38-42
Read the New Testament in a Year: 1 Thessalonians 4:11-18
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” — Luke 10:41-42
For many of us our daily living is taken up with many commitments, pressures, and demands on our time. In some ways this is good. Having things to do often gives predictability, structure, and meaning to our day. My wife always jokes that I love structure too much.
But we can become a prisoner of the demands on our time. We can develop within our inner being an unhealthy sense of haste and irritability. Then we are easily angered when people and circumstances are not ordered according to our expectations. One of the most difficult lessons for us to learn is how to maintain a healthy, dynamic balance between “being with Jesus” and “serving Jesus.”
This was the lesson Martha needed to learn. Inwardly worried about many things, she was, therefore, outwardly upset about many things; she was easily angered. Given her anxious spiritual condition, Jesus said to her, “only one thing is needed.” She needed to take time out to listen to Jesus. Anxiety and anger typically go hand in hand. While anxious, we focus on ourselves or our own problems as opposed to seeing Jesus and others. What are you anxious or angry about today? Could shifting your focus from yourself help?
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