Priority of God’s Presence

Hi, and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled Priority of God's Presence, was written by Kimya Loader. In 2009, a research team at Stanford University studied more than 200 students in an experiment that included switching between tasks and memory exercises. Surprisingly, the study found that students who viewed themselves as good multitaskers because they were in the habit of doing several things at a time did worse than those who preferred to perform one task at a time. Multitasking made it more difficult to focus their thoughts and filter irrelevant information.

Maintaining focus when our minds are distracted can be a challenge. When Jesus visited Mary and Martha's home in Luke chapter 10, Martha was busy working and distracted by all the preparations. Her sister Mary chose to sit and listen to Jesus teach, gaining wisdom and peace that would never be taken away from her. When Martha asked Jesus to encourage Mary to help her, he responded, You were worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed, only one. God desires our attention, but like Martha, we're often distracted by tasks and problems. We neglect God's presence even though He alone can provide the wisdom and hope we need. When we make spending time with Him through prayer and meditating on Scripture a priority, He will give us the guidance and strength we need to address the challenges we face.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 10 verses 38 through 42. As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me. Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, You were worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed, only one.

Only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. Let's pray. Dear Father, at times, life becomes overwhelming, and we can try to juggle so many things, making it difficult to remain focused on what is truly important. Help us to remove those distractions and draw closer to You. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Toni Collyer, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.