When Busyness Crowds Out What Matters

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This Week's Devotion Was Inspired By:

Luke 10:40-42

But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

FROM HEAD KNOWLEDGE TO HEART KNOWLEDGE:

1. evaluate with honesty: In the day to day of life, do you tend to prioritize your time with Jesus or your to-do list?

2. start right now. If you are are pretty decent at prioritizing your time with the Lord, GREAT! Pray about keeping that commitment going! But, I bet there are many of us that need to ask God for help with making a habit of prioritizing our relationship with HIM over our to-do's.

3. TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER. Make this VERY practical. Set an appointment in your calendar. Maybe even put meeting with God at the TOP of your to-do list...not that meeting with God is a to-do to check off---but instead, acknowledging that He is the most important thing we want to prioritize for the day!

KEY POINT: We cannot allow our busyness to crowd out time with God because that is the most important thing.

Transcript

Teaching is busy, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks and people we need to respond to. There’s a story in the Bible about a woman who also felt overwhelmed. Let’s look at what Jesus said to her.

In Luke 10:38–42 we read:
"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. She came up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’"

Did you notice? Martha was doing good things. She was literally serving God. Yet Jesus gently said, “You are anxious and troubled.” And He pointed her to the one thing that mattered most: spending time with Him.

I don’t know about you, but I can be a Martha. I get so caught up in my to-do list—often full of good things—that I let it crowd out my time with Jesus. And when that happens, I notice two things:

I become anxious and worried instead of walking in God’s peace.
I lack clarity and direction because I haven’t taken time to listen for His leading through the Holy Spirit.

It’s not good for our souls when we skip the one thing. That’s why Jesus reminded Martha, “One thing is necessary.” So here’s the question: Am I doing the one thing that matters most? The one thing that changes not only what I do each day but also how I go about it.

Take a moment right now to reflect. Is there one habit you need to start—or reinstate—that will protect your time with Jesus so it doesn’t get lost in the busyness? Decide what that habit is, and commit to begin it today.

FROM HEAD KNOWLEDGE TO HEART KNOWLEDGE:

1. evaluate with honesty: In the day to day of life, do you tend to prioritize your time with Jesus or your to-do list?