Mary and Martha

Most of us know the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42. Both knew Jesus well, yet they both responded differently when He visited. The Bible says that Mary sat down and listened to Jesus while Martha was ‘distracted with much serving’. Distracted is a powerful word here. Don’t we all recognize that?

Jesus said to Martha: “You are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen that good part and it shall not be taken away from her.”
So that means that listening to God, being close to Him, is the most important part. We should not be distracted by other things.

So how do we do that? Most of us cannot spend the whole day reading the Bible and praying. Proverbs says that following God means to keep Him & His word in front of your eyes and in the midst of your heart. (Prov. 4:20-21) This means that we continually see everything through God’s perspective.

When we let God’s words sink deep into our hearts, we know in every situation what God’s truth is. That way, worries won’t have a chance to take over. Moreover, we will also reap many benefits when we live that way. Proverbs 3 and 4 list many of these benefits. Here are a few:

• Peace (Inner peace, free from worry)
• Length of days (We don’t have to be dictated by time, when God works through us we are able to do much more than we could by ourselves)
• Happiness (Joy)
• Your foot shall not stumble (God will show you where to go)  
• Sweet sleep (No more restless, sleepless nights)
• Your ways are pleasant (You enjoy your days, because you see the hand of God through everything.)
• Health to your body

And are these things not everything we search for and look for in life? Like Jesus says in Matthew 6:33: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else shall be added unto you. And He tells us this after he says that we don’t have to worry about anything.

I hope these paintings will help you to look inside your heart, and realize whether you are like Mary sitting joyfully in God’s presence, or whether you want to do that but let other things come in between.

Recently I came across a video where the story of Martha and Mary is told in a beautiful way. Make some time to sit down and watch it, and be encouraged. (the video is about 30 mins long.) Click here to watch.