Have you ever had one of those days when you had a host of things to do and you were feeling overwhelmed? Did it make you anxious and irritable when others seemed not to care? Did you need to be calmed? At times, I have also had so much to do that I felt overwhelmed. In fact that happened to me just this morning. I was irritable and short tempered and barked at my family when they wanted to interact with me.Then God brought to my mind the story of Martha and Mary. Mary was so happy the Jesus was at her house that she sat at his feet listening to what He was teaching. Martha, on the other hand was scrambling around trying to cook, clean, and serve. She was becoming frustrated and that made her irritable and anxious. She thought no one seemed to care that she was doing this all alone. So, she went and complained to Jesus, and aksed Him to tell Mary to help her. He soothingly agreed with her that she was troubled about many things, however, Mary chose the One Thing that was best and He would not tell her to help Martha.
The One best Thing is Jesus and His teaching. The idea here is to not be anxious, but to understand the Words of Jesus, because of their importance. Surely the serving and cleaning had to be done, but since Jesus was there, and Mary was at His feet, then Martha should take a break and join her. After all the Word tells us “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Well, I did just that; I got into the word and that calmed me down. When you get into a tizzy like I did, then do as I did. Stop, go to a quiet place, and study the Word. It has a soothing affect and you will be calmed.
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
If you are not a Born Again Christian, here is how to become one:
- Acknowledge that you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
- Believe that Jesus, who never sinned, died for your sins, was buried and was raised from the dead and publicly confess Him as Lord of your life. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
- Call on the Lord in faith and repentance. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
See also, The ABCs of Salvation and The Good Person Test
