Necessary & Good

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." -- Luke 10:41-42

As a pastor, as a human being, I often myself "anxious and troubled about many things." Life is filled with "many things" -- marriage, children, church, finances, family, education, health, people & personalities, conflicts and challenges, opportunities and destinations. I feel often times caught up in theses "things." Especially here in the month or so before Christmas. What we think we would like to have -- an old-fashioned, family Christmas, simple and warm and loving -- may be easy to imagine and harder to realize. What with calendars filling quickly to the brim, with unexpected crisis arising and so forth. We get like Martha -- busy, busy, busy.
In the midst of the busyness, we fail to recall what is necessary and truly good -- Mary had it -- spending time at Jesus' feet, hearing His word, loving Him.
As Christians, isn't this what we really need? Jesus said so.
Is this really a good investment of precious and fleeting time -- sitting at Jesus feet? Jesus said so.
Not only is it necessary and good, Jesus said it is everlasting -- it "will not be taken away."

I know that as a pastor, called by Jesus to feed His sheep, I have to spend time and energy on the good portion, the necessary part. I know that as a husband and a father seeking to disciple his family, I must spend time and energy on the good portion, the necessary part -- quietly before the feet of my Master, learning of Him to follow Him. I pray that I will not, and that you will not, get distracted, "troubled about many things" (albeit virtuous things), and be robbed of that which Jesus says is necessary, good and lasting.

Time spent with Jesus is never wasted; it is always good. I am reminded of when I was reading the autobiography of Jerry Falwell, he went visiting a couple and he was telling them all about what he had been doing for God -- knocking on hundreds of doors, starting this and that ministry, busy, busy, busy -- and they stopped Falwell dead in his tracks when they asked him, "Well, Jerry you've told us all that you have been doing for God, tell us what God has been doing in you."