March 21, 2026 4:00 am
Mary and Martha's differing approaches to pleasing the Lord Jesus serve as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing time for reading and meditating on the Scriptures, as emphasized by Job and the unknown psalmist who wrote Psalm 119.
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Welcome to the Days of Praise podcast, a daily devotional by the Institute for Creation Research. The good part. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10, 42. The sisters Mary and Martha both loved the Lord Jesus and wanted to please him.
Jesus also loved them and apparently was an occasional guest at their home in Bethany. Martha evidently felt that activity and service were pleasing to the Lord, and these indeed are good and important, whereas Mary simply sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. To Martha's surprise and chagrin, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the good part, a part more important even than service and food. Long, long before, the patriarch Job, whom God had said was a perfect and an upright man, with none like him in the earth, had also chosen that good part. I have esteemed the words of his mouth, Job said, more than my necessary food.
We today can sit at Jesus' feet and hear His word only by reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Important as our daily responsibilities may be to meet our material needs and those of our families, we should prioritize time for this good part. The same surely applies especially to Christian leaders. They may have many important tasks to perform in the service of God, but it is still more important for them to take time to hear His Word in the Scriptures. The unknown psalmist who wrote the Grand Psalm 119 learned this truth.
O how love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day. How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding. We to day have a higher privilege than Job, the Psalmist, or even Mary, for we have all the Scriptures.
If we truly desire that good part, the Lord will surely provide the time as He did for Mary. If you've enjoyed today's devotional, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. And please rate and review so more listeners can find us. To support ICR's ministry, visit icr.org/slash donate. Your gift of any amount helps us to reach others with biblical truth and encouragement.
Thanks for listening. We hope you'll start each day with days of praise.
