Daily Devotional

Scripture: But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42 (NLT)

Obsevation:  "The “one thing” that Martha needed was a calm, devotional spirit, a deeper anxiety for knowledge concerning the future, immortal life, and the graces necessary for spiritual advancement. She needed less anxiety for the things which pass away, and more for those things which endure forever. Jesus would teach His children to seize every opportunity of gaining that knowledge which will make them wise unto salvation. The cause of Christ needs careful, energetic workers. There is a wide field for the Marthas, with their zeal in active religious work. But let them first sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus. Let diligence, promptness, and energy be sanctified by the grace of Christ; then the life will be an unconquerable power for good" (The Desire of Ages, page 525, 1898).

Application: It seems as if the laundry basket is always full of dirty laundry, dust settles on the furniture, toilets need to be cleaned, and floors need to be scrubbed. And, that doesn't even take into account the car shuttles to soccer practice, piano lessons, doctor appointments, and grocery store runs, just to mention a few. The calendar is full and it seems overwhelming to attempt to fit one more thing in. Where does time with Jesus belong in the long "to-do" list?

In the scripture verse for today, Jesus reminds us that we spend so much time and energy focusing on things that are of little significance. Instead, perhaps we need to take a look at how we are spending our time with a set of fresh eyes- eyes that see things from an eternal perspective. Journal for a week how you are spending your day. You may be surprised. Jesus' words, "there is only one thing to be concerned about", cause us to pause and reflect. What is it that we are concerned about?  What occupies our thoughts and our time? What can we change? Is it time to set our homes in order so that there is time for family devotions?

Our children will grow to become the father or mother that they see modeled in the home. Time management and the setting of priorities is a skill that must be modeled and taught to our children. A good start is to schedule time daily for family worship. Keep this time as a sacred commitment. Do not allow anything else to push this time aside as unimportant.  Put your house in order.

Daily sit as a family as the feet of Jesus. And, in the process of setting our priorities straight, we may end up discovering that our productivity as well as our energy level will actually increase.

A Prayer You May Say: Dear Lord, please help me set my priorities according to Your will. I pray that the busyness of life will not detract me from spending quality time with You. 

Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.