NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

November 2

Scripture focus: As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." Luke 10:38-42 The Message

I think that both Martha and Mary started out the evening choosing “the main course.” Martha, the hostess with the most-est, did her thing and threw a party. Mary, the introvert, followed her heart and soaked up the teaching of the Master.

Luke may not have even heard this story, much less needed to write about it, if Martha had been in touch and at peace with her true, hospitable, God-created identity. Consider how the story might have turned out differently. Fearless, fretless Martha could have rustled up dinner and then settled in for a sociable evening with her guests. She might have chosen to think – “I can do all this clean up tomorrow! For tonight, I want to bask in the glory of a successful party and enjoy my guests.” Instead, Martha allowed herself to get freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional. She forgot that the work in the kitchen was a staging ground for the mission of the day – serving her guests.

I can’t count the number of times I miss the big picture because my view gets cluttered by the messiness of life. Even in this moment, I could go to my own pity place. I have three dirty mugs on my desk and breakfast dishes on my kitchen counter. I have guests coming for dinner and no idea what I’m going to serve. But that’s just the small stuff.

The really important truth of my day is that I feel drawn near to my God, I’m enjoying my scripture study, and on my lap sits a very precious, almost-potty-trained grandpuppy. She thinks I’m special.

I could choose to allow myself to rush into hyper-drive performance mode but I’m going to resist the urge. The essentials of life will not be taken from those who seek after the Father. May we continue to encourage each other in our seeking, so that we may discover the peace that comes with finding our way back to God.

Recommended reading: Isaiah 32 - 34

Click on the word comments below and join our conversation!

© Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community

---