May

29

Only One Thing is Needed

By Julie B Cosgrove  


“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” Luke 10:41-42a

So many sermons have been written about Mary at the feet of Jesus while her sister Martha was busy making all the preparations. Most speak of the balance between service to God and time to be with Him, in prayer and the Word.

It is also about attitude. Martha was not getting anything done because her anxiety about all she had to do was zapping all her energy. She was in a huff.  I can relate to that,  can’t you? There are just not enough hours in the day. Pressures can build up and suddenly the tasks seem monstrous.

But that is the key. They just seem monstrous. Once we let our emotions take control, the negative thoughts take rein.  Jesus is saying, there is a better way – Him.

When we focus on Jesus and His Word, our whole attitude changes. He is the one thing that is needed in order for us to accomplish what needs to get done.  On the days I do not start out with prayer and reading the Bible, my day gets all lopsided. Few things go as planned and I get tripped up with stress and frustration. Then I ask, why in the world did I not sit at His feet first?

Dearest Lord, forgive me for not sandwiching every day with You- for not starting and ending my day in Your presence. You gave all so I could have access to you.  You are all I need.  When worries and stress begin to creep in, help me to take time out to sit at Your feet and receive Your peace. Only then, will my day go right. I pray this through Your mercy. Amen.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”  Psalm 116:7

Comments

One Response to “Only One Thing is Needed”

  1. Zack DeRose on May 31st, 2009 4:41 am

    This passage in Luke has always been very dear to me – even in light of the fact that I’m a male (I apologize if I’m not supposed to be here, there weren’t any “No Boys Allowed” signs so I assumed it’d be okay).

    This account of Mary and Martha is a great reminder to all Christians, male or female, of what really matters in life: Christ. As a self-proclaimed ‘doer,’ I often feel a need to accomplish something in a day, whether it’s writing or cleaning or a home-improvement project. This passage though reminds me of how trivial this need I feel is in comparison to the reality of Christ’s coming. If I truly believe that Jesus Christ is a present reality then my desire to spend any possible moment with Him should dwarf any need I feel to accomplish something.

    This is not to say that we can’t still be Christians and hard-workers, simply that we should never lose sight of Christ in the midst of our labors. In this way, we can remain at Christ’s feet all day long. You used the analogy of a sandwich to show how important it is to begin and end the day with God. I’d like to take that analogy one step further and suggest we ought to cover ourselves with ‘God-jelly’ so that we remain in Him throughout the day. I fear that my analogy isn’t nearly as appetizing though…