One Thing Needed

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading is titled, One Thing Needed, and it was written by Amy Boucher-Pye. One weekend in March, I led a retreat on the theme of Mary and Martha, the sisters in Bethany whom Jesus loved, along with their brother Lazarus.

We were in a remote spot along the English coastline. When we were snowed in unexpectedly, many of the participants remarked how the extra day together meant they could practice sitting at Christ's feet as Mary did. They wanted to pursue the one thing needed that Jesus lovingly told Martha she should embrace, which was choosing to draw close and learn from him. When Jesus visited the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Martha wouldn't have known he was coming in advance, so we can understand how she would have been upset with Mary for not helping with the preparations to feed him and his friends. But she lost sight of what really mattered, receiving from Jesus as she learned from him. Christ wasn't scolding her for wanting to serve him, but rather reminding her that she was missing the most important thing.

When interruptions make us feel irritable or we feel overwhelmed about the many things we want to accomplish, we can stop and remind ourselves what really matters in life. As we slow ourselves down, picturing ourselves sitting at the feet of Jesus, we can ask him to fill us with his love and life. We can revel in being his beloved disciple. 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 are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and instructing us in your ways. Help us not to get distracted by our activities, but to focus on you. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening today. My name is Brenna Holsclaw and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.