Mary chose… (see Luke 10:42).
I love that.
Relationship with God is a choice. It is not something He will force you into with Him.
When we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (see James 4:8).
Did you notice the order?
His coming near to me is determined by my choosing to come near to Him.
At the same time, our desire to seek Him is not something we can take credit for.
When it comes to the Christian life, all is grace.
Grace initiates. Grace finishes. Grace empowers… but it’s our job to say, ‘Yes.’
No one can come to Jesus unless the Father who sent Him draws him (see John 6:44).
Similarly, when His deep desire for us calls to us, it produces a longing in us for Him (see Psalm 42:7).
Our part, however, is to respond to the wooing of God.
We must daily choose to sit at the Lord’s feet.
When we do not choose to sit at the Lord’s feet, we will inevitably choose to sit at the feet of
something else.
We will choose to sit at the feet of distraction or the racing feet of our mind.
Because we were made for communion with God, whatever distracts us from relationship will
produce a worried and troubled heart within us.
This is the enemy’s goal.
His primary objective is to derail our intimate attempts to know God.
He will seek to distract you by whatever means necessary, including the use of good things.
This is what happened to Martha.
No sooner did Martha invite Jesus into her home she became distracted.
Her preparations and serving, the very things she was doing for Jesus, took the place of what mattered most.
As a result, she became worried and bothered and turned indignant toward her sister.
This is exactly what stress will do.
It will always result in anger and frustration — even towards the ones we are closest to. We take out on them what would have easily been resolved if we would have simply chosen to be still.
Could it be that the reason why so many are angered is simply the result of choosing fellowship with stress and concern rather than seeking the Lord?
Stillness before the Lord is the only remedy for a racing mind.
Whenever we choose distraction over relationship, the voice of concern will begin to become louder than our love for Jesus.
Fear and love are at enmity with one another.
The enemy would love nothing more than for our inner world to be disrupted by our outer world.
Whereas God wants our inner world to determine how we relate to our outer world, the enemy wants our outer world to determine our inner world.
He wants outer concerns to rob us of inner peace.
The enemy is successful when we fall for the temptation of choosing distraction over sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Rather than staring into the eyes of love, we wind up staring into the eyes of worry.
Make no mistake… what you stare at is what you will listen to.
Sometimes you hear with your eyes.
Because Mary chose the good part, Jesus said it wouldn’t be taken from her.
What a statement!
That means that daily choosing relationship with God results in Him building something in you that outer concerns cannot touch.
Whatever peace Martha had when she first invited Jesus into her home was immediately taken when she chose distraction over humility.
Sitting at the Lord’s feet is the right response between the Creator and the created. It adequately details how we should relate to Him.
It’s a posture that says, “You have something that I need.”
It’s a posture of reverence and lowliness.
It’s a posture that will help guard your heart and keep your inner world intact.
The choice is ultimately ours.
When we choose distraction, we are choosing to say we can manage our life on our own. We don’t really need God.
It’s as if we are choosing to eat from the wrong tree all over again.
Will we choose to eat from the bread Jesus wants to daily give us, or will we choose a diet of
distraction that leaves us worried and bothered?
Only Jesus satisfies…
He is the One who promised that if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, He will take care of what concerns us (see Matthew 6:33).
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds Ministries