Making God your First Priority!
Jesus arrived in Bethany during the Feast of Dedication and was welcomed into the home of his loyal friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Mary hurried to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. She was eager to learn from Him. In the Gospels she is found at the feet of Jesus three times. Apart from this passage in Luke 10, she falls at Jesus’ feet in John 11: 28–37 and in John 12: 3 she worships Him by anointing His feet.
Practical preparations
While Mary listened intently to Jesus’ words of life, Martha was preparing a meal for Jesus and His disciples. It was not wrong to be concerned about the preparations, but she was irritated with Mary. Maybe she thought, ‘How am I going to finish everything of this meal on time? She had to do so much, and Mary just sat there and did nothing!
A loving admonition
However, Martha not only finds fault with Mary, but also with Jesus. ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister made me serve alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered, ” Martha, Martha, you are worried and anxious about many things. But one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good part that will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10: 41–42) Martha had a valid case, but Jesus admonished her. He did not approve of her attitude and responded in a gentle, loving way. She had to learn a valuable lesson that day.
What is really important in life?
What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘But one thing is necessary? He actually said: ‘The one thing that is most important is to be with Me and listen to My words. It’s a call to determine life’s priorities and decide what’s really important in your life. The Lord must always be our first priority – before anything else. When Jesus entered the house, the first thing Mary gave to Jesus was her undivided attention. Brother Lawrence, the famous author of The Practice of the Presence of God, said, ‘I have looked upon God as the goal and end of all the thoughts and affections of the soul. I have come to see that my only business is to live as though there were none but He and I in the world, and I have sought only to live for Him.’ Joy Davidman, C.S. Lewis’s wife said, “We must want God so much that everything else becomes irrelevant.”
What distracts you from Jesus?
To give preference to the Lord means that we listen to His voice and His words. What do we do with what we hear from the Lord? If we place the fleeting, insignificant worries of this life, above the words of the Lord, we might as well join Martha in the kitchen. What is the name of your kitchen? What is that thing, however valid, that keeps you from being with Jesus? That thing that makes you unable to listen to the words of the Lord, and obey them?
God’s blessing in our lives
If we give preference to Jesus and listen to His Word, we will receive a blessing, that good part, which cannot be taken away from us. Mary, at the feet of Jesus, received a deep awareness of peace, security, and assurance (Colossians 3: 15–16). God will give us blessings that cannot be taken away from us. “Thou shalt keep him in peace, whose thoughts remain with thee” (Isaiah 26: 3). Jesus lived that way. He listened to his Father and was obedient; He wanted His disciples to do the same. God’s intention is for His children to live in the rest He has provided. He wants you and me to determine our life priorities so that we can ‘be’ with Him before we begin to ‘do’ things for Him. Then we will understand the difference between rest and work, His work and our works and His burden and our burdens. But many of us are distracted and we do not experience the full blessing of God’s Word and presence in our lives.
What are such distractions?
Distractions are something that takes our attention away from what we are supposed to do. The meaning of distraction in Greek is literally ‘to be drawn in all directions.’ Henri Nouwen, author and theologian said he felt like he was driving through a giant dictionary when he was once in Los Angeles. There were words and advertisements everywhere that said, “Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me.” The Bible has many examples of such distractions. Samson’s attention, for example, was diverted through a relationship with a Philistine woman (Judges 14: 6) and Demas’ attention was diverted by the culture around him (2 Timothy 4:10).
Put God above all else
We all have distractions that might even become idols like expectations, goals, successes, comfortable lifestyles, a successful ministry, or even flashy holidays. These are all idols that must be removed to fully connect with God. We must remove all distractions from our lives, anything that competes for our attention and prevents us from hearing God through His Word.