But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42, NASB)
I love the men I study with weekly. That is, most of the time. A few weeks ago I could not attend one of the Links Fellowships (appropriately named “The Struggle Brothers”) that I routinely facilitate, so I sent a message to one of the other leaders: “I will not be able to attend today because I have been asked to play golf on this beautiful fall day. I will be thinking of you all.”
He sent a text in response: “My prayer for you is that your back aches, your sight grows dim, and the water swallows up your golf balls in the depths of Sheol!” Can you just feel the love?
I want the good part that will not be taken away.I do learn from these valiant men and fellow struggle brothers because of the intentional time we spend eating together and studying God’s inspired Word. A recent lesson from our Links Players Friday study guide, entitled “Steady Or Spirit-Infused,” impacted us all. It centered around time and priorities. Jeff Hopper stated, “Life makes it hard to last. With so many things to do, it becomes increasingly hard to do any one thing well.”
One friend who regularly attends then clarified what we all can relate to: “I feel like many times I simply sprinkle in some God as I spend the majority of my time planting my business and other priorities in this world. The truth is that I desire to plant God first and deeper, but I get distracted with the urgent.”
I can hear some of you say, “Oh Mr. Devotion Writer, you don’t understand my world and all my pressing obligations. I don’t have time to study and write as you do. You don’t know how hard it is to balance all this together.” I may not, but I know Jesus does and that’s what is important.
My friend who struggled with his priorities finished his thought: “Thank you guys for listening and encouraging me when I get lost. I know it is a mind- and heart-set, not a time-set. I know if we make God first, all this other will be added.”
This man was borrowing from Jesus, you might say, for the Lord told the listeners on the mount, “But seek first [the Father’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). These things are the very basic needs of life. For all the time we think we need to spend on these, Jesus was saying that there is something more important still.
Mary understood this. God wants a relationship ahead of a performance. When we make God the priority, all the rest will be added unto us. Out of the prioritized relationship will evolve the performance—for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
I desire to plant God’s message into a dying world today while I sprinkle in other responsibilities. I want the good part that will not be taken away.
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Randy Wolff
December 4, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.