December 12, 2004
Serving Without Distraction
Read: Luke 10:38-42
Martha was distracted with much serving. —Luke 10:40
Bible In One Year: Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3
While Martha served Jesus unsparingly, her sister Mary sat at His feet, listening and learning. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) believed that Martha's mistake wasn't her serving, but rather that she allowed it to distract her attention from Jesus. Spurgeon believed that we should be Martha and Mary in one. He wrote, "We should do much service, and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune."
I once met a young mother who found the grace to do both. She hungered after God and His Word but was unavoidably immersed in family life each day. Then an idea came to her. In each room she placed paper and a pencil on a high surface, away from tiny hands. As she served the Lord in household responsibilities, she also kept herself open to God. Whenever a Scripture came to mind, or something to confess, to correct, or to pray about, she jotted it on the nearest pad of paper. In the evening after the children were asleep, she gathered her pieces of paper and pondered them prayerfully over her open Bible.
This woman found a way to be Martha and Mary at the same time. May we too discover ways to serve God and to commune with Him. —Joanie Yoder
Can make us feel distressed,
But spending time each day with Christ
Can make our service blest. —D. De Haan
To keep your life in balance, lean on the Lord.