Luke 10:38-42 (NLT), “38 …a woman named Martha welcomed him (Jesus) into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.’ 41 But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.’”
Jesus’ point to Martha was that she was too caught up in providing the meal. Jesus did appreciate her preparations, but had she kept it simpler, she, like Mary, could have enjoyed the spiritual blessings from him.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead; I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Consider Paul’s singleness of purpose – “one thing I do.” He did not try to do several things. If he had, he would surely have failed. He dropped every other aim in life.
He did this knowing his chosen course would bring certain loss, sacrifice, toil, care, persecution and continual reproach. In this singleness of purpose, he was relieved of many temptations to turn aside to enjoy some of the good things of this present life, or to pursue some of its elusive bubbles.
Note: The doing of this “one thing,” however, does not set aside our earthly obligations to provide what is needful for ourselves and our families. (1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”)
Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1049: “Are You a Mary or a Martha?”
Powerful life lessons from two friends of Jesus
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
