Luke 10:42, ‘but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
In our day-day lives, we make many decisions, choices. We need to be very careful in making them. Choose what is necessary in our lives.
V38. ‘Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;’
We have many responsibilities in this world – our family life, day-day life. There is a tendency where we get distracted by these things. God speaks to us through this verse, ‘Only one thing is necessary!’ We see Mary was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word. We might think, only listening is not enough, we need to make decisions as well, at a proper time but we need to ‘wait for the Lord’. If we always don’t do this, there is a chance that we need to come back and repent about the decisions we make in haste. Do not get distracted, only one thing is necessary. A true disciple is the one who is seated at Lord’s feet and hearing from Him. There should be a continuous communication between us and the Lord. In every thing we do, whether we send an email, writing a book, making a phone call, let us wait on the Lord and listen from Him. We see that Martha was distracted with all her preparations for the Lord. It was not wrong. She was busy and distracted. We might be doing something good but are we getting distracted by it? Is our focus getting distracted, from the Lord? Our choices, are we choosing the right ones? Are we asking the Lord about our decisions?
Psalms 27:4, ‘One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple’
To look to the Lord continuously and to admire His beauty and to meditate in His temple, this we shall seek. Let us seek the power of the Holy Spirit.
We see Martha was distracted and then slowly she started to complain. Distractions slowly lead us to complaining and grumbling!
Philippians 2:14, ‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing;’
Ruth 1:14, ‘And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her’
We know Elimelech with his wife Naomi and his two sons – Mahlon and Chilion went to Moab when there was a famine in Judah. Then Elimelech died and his two sons married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. After 10 years, both sons died and Naomi arose, with her two daughters-in-law and went on the way, to return to the land of Judah, as she heard that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food. We see the bonding between Naomi, Orpah and Ruth. V10, ‘And they said to her, “No, but we will surely return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?’ V14, ‘And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her’
V15, ‘Then she said, “Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.” 18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.’
Orpah too a stand for her God and returned to Moab but Ruth clung to Naomi. We see the beauty of Ruth’s decision in saying, ‘Your God, my God’. Ruth was attracted by the God of Naomi that when she got an opportunity to leave Moab, she went ahead with Naomi to the land of Judah and also to serve her God. Ruth met Boaz, when she went to pick up barley in his field. She found favor from Boaz and he let her stay in his field.
Ruth 2:11. ‘Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. 12 May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”’
Boaz came to know that Ruth took a stand for God and about her decision to cling to Naomi. This was her testimony. Taking a strong stand for the Lord gives an impression to others to follow the Lord also. Ruth was redeemed by Boaz as per the Israelites law. Boaz was a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, redeeming us to be His bride. When we make a stand for the Lord and choose Him, we can come in close contact with the Lord, having a strong bond with the Lord. Ruth and Boaz had a child Obed, who is the grandfather of David. This is the ancestral line of Jesus Christ. The decision and the stand for the Lord, which Ruth took in her life, made her to be saved and be redeemed also. Let us cling to our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, to be saved every day of our lives! Let us have this passion for the Lord and not get distracted by the things of the world around us, especially with the news which are coming up. Have faith in the Lord. We need to be strong and cling to the Lord, as Ruth clung to Naomi.
Genesis 13:10, ‘Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.’
Abraham’s wealth was multiplied, he became rich and had lots of servants and livestock. Lot also had flocks, herds and tents and livestock. When there was a strife between Lot and Abraham’s herdsmen, Abraham decided to part ways. Choice was given to Lot to choose the place and we see the decision that the Lot took. Lot took a decision based on the lush green pastures of the valley of Jordan. When we see the decision of Abraham,
V14, ‘The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.’
We see that Abraham was not forsaken by the Lord. God took care of Abraham and also his descendants. Later we see Abraham was also rescuing Lot from the enemies and Sodom and Gomorrah! We see the heart of Abraham where he was genuinely concerned about the righteous people in Genesis 18.
Genesis 19:12, ‘Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the Lord that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the Lord will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.
15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.’
When the angels told Lot to take his family away, Lot hesitated. But the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him and they brought him out and put him outside the city. See, how compassionate the Lord is! Lot was hesitating to leave his possessions.
V19. ‘Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; 20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.”’
Here also, we see Lot hesitating to escape to the mountains and wanted to go to the town nearby.
V24, ‘Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.’ We see the strong warning in Lot’s wife!
V27, ‘Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace.
29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham,’
We see the compassion of the Lord. Even though Abraham did not get choicest of the lands, God remembered him. Lot also got saved but we see that there are some preferences in Lot’s life. When Lot was asked to escape to the mountains, Lot had other preferences! Lot went to the small town of Zoar. He chose some comfort zone (Zoar), instead of going to the mountains, there was some hesitation. When God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham! Every decision that we make out of the Lord will take us away from the Lord. Lot was saved but the decision that he took was not right. Let us ask the Lord, is there any area that we are distracted and are carried away by the pleasures and riches of this world. Let us go out of our comfort zones into the mountain and be there in His dwelling place. Abraham chose and obeyed the Lord and God remembered him.
Luke 17:32, ‘Remember Lot’s wife’
This is a great warning for us. Let us not decisions depending on the flesh, it will only lead us astray, away from the Lord, leading to the Spiritual death!
John 12:3, ‘Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.’
We see that Mary, out of her love towards the Lord, took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. This is an act of worship she did to the Lord and we should not think she did not do anything, when she was sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word, while Martha was busy.
We see Judas was complaining about this act, saying it’s a pure waste of money!
V7, ‘Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.’
The service that Mary did, Jesus said, that it was the best thing! Her choice was the best choice! We need to submit our lives also as a fragrance to our Lord Jesus Christ, where we sit at His feet and listen from Him daily!
We see that Martha having a very strong will, energetic and moving around while Mary is a very humble person, sitting at the Lord’s feet waiting for Him to do the work in her heart! We also, in our lives, the attitude of Martha has to change to the attitude of Mary. For this to happen, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. Let us wait for the Lord to do His work in us but let us not be taking our own decisions.
Isaiah 40:31, ‘Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.’
If we wait on the Lord, in our daily lives, we will gain new strength. This is what the Holy Spirit gives us, when we wait upon the Lord, to do the work in our hearts! Let us submit our lives like Mary did! Every day will be fresh, when we do this, we will mount up with wings like eagles, we will run and not get tired, we will walk, and not become weary!
Luke 18:22, ‘When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”’
The rich young ruler considered his possessions as more valuable and was not ready to part with it, not willing to put it at the Lord Jesus’ feet. That’s why he was denied the eternal life. In contrast, we see Zaccheus life. When he saw Jesus, he was ever ready to part with his possessions!
Luke 19:9, ‘And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.’
We see that Zaccheus was saved from his love of money and possessions. He was returning whatever he had defrauded anyone of anything. Let us have the true repentance. Let us not get distracted and taken up with worldly things and possessions.
Philippians 3:13, ‘Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’
This is what, Paul was longing to do – ‘to forget what is behind and press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’, as the Lord Jesus held him. He saw him before the foundation of the world and He saw him, and he wants to go on the path that Jesus Christ wanted him to go. Let us also seek the Lord and not get distracted but ask the Lord, to help us fulfil the purpose for which we were born to do in our lives!
V17, ‘Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us’
Let us also follow the example of brothers who follow the Lord in their lives.
Ephesians 5:1, ‘Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.’
Let us also walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. We should also be a fragrant aroma to God.
Ephesians 4:32, ‘Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.’
We need to be kind, having this tender-heartedness towards our fellow believers, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Hebrews 12:2, ‘fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’
There might be situations coming in our lives, but we don’t have to get distracted, we need to closely follow the Lord. The Lord Jesus did not sin at all, even though he went through tough situations but He endured such hostility, so that we will also not grow weary and lose heart when we go through tough times. Let us wait on the Lord, listening to Him.
Thank God for His Word.
