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The Good Portion
Andrea Lende • April 26, 2020
Luke 10:39-42
The Good Portion
You may also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Good-Portion-ed9mba
Daily Word:
Luke 10:39-42
“And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching.”
“But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!”
“But the Lord replied to her by saying, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;”
“There is need of only one or but a few things. Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage], which shall not be taken away from her.”
Reading about Mary and Martha today convicted me.
It reminded me that there are more important things than the tasks that surround us and seem to be screaming at us to tend to them.
The guilt about not having everything in order in my home is sometimes insurmountable.
I love a clean home and organized home.
I seek a more minimalistic approach to living.
And, yet, somehow, I not able to maintain these things simultaneously.
I may get things clean, but then the laundry isn’t done.
I may do the laundry, but then it seems difficult to put everything away in its proper place in a timely fashion.
Then there is the kitchen counter.
Need I say more?
As I try to rid our home of non-essential items, more seem to make their way into our house.
None of these tasks or thoughts about these tasks are directly related to what I actually want to be doing.
So, I get caught up in Martha’s world.
I do not want to be in Martha’s world.
I want to live in Mary’s world.
I want to be sitting at Jesus’ feet – even if only in my mind – learning of Him as I read His Word.
I want to be writing music and poetry.
I want to be writing more books that I already have titles for.
And then the overwhelm settles in.
What do I do first?
How can I let things in the house go unattended when there seems to be a need for me to tend to those things?
As I bring this to the Lord, I hear Him reassure me that there is time for all that I need to do and all the I want to do.
I ask Him to work out my schedule.
I am constantly asking Him about what I should be doing.
I try and follow His lead.
I ask Him to help me hear His whispers so that I do not get off track and join Martha’s lifestyle.
Sometimes the chores I have in front of me are necessary, and I find peace in that.
Other times I need to embrace Mary’s lifestyle and sit at Jesus’ feet and soak up His teaching.
Today I choose to be mindful of the lifestyle that I will lead and ask the Lord to guide my every step.
May you find that the Lord will lead you as you ask Him to guide you through your day.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me that I can choose a quieter life and seek You over the world. Please show me all that I can discard and help me close doors to the things that take me away from You. Help me choose time with You over time doing things that do not truly matter. Help me pay attention to the family You have given me over distractions that are meaningless. Help me attend to the matters of the spirit, mind, and body over material things. Please lead me in all that I do today. Guide my steps and help me do as You command. Keep my mind on You and help me serve others as You desire. I ask that You put joy in my heart as I serve. Let not my mind give in to complaining but let me have peace and joy. I pray that You quiet the chaos around me and help me find rest and a space to sit in Your presence. Thank You for working out every circumstance perfectly. Thank You for choosing me to know You, Lord. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM with you and AM leading and guiding you, My child, so that My will is done.
Response: Thank You, Almighty God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.