“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 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.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38–42).

There are so many things in life to which we give undue concern. Martha was worried about serving. Serving is good. But, Martha was distracted from something even more important, learning from the Master. How can we learn how to be a servant without sitting at the feet of Jesus? Mary had chosen the good part and it was not to be taken away from her. The best things we can do in life and the one thing that is essential to all Christian service is to hear the word of the Lord. Otherwise, our service is misdirected and self-serving.

One who sings, “Lord, make me a servant”, must commit His word to his heart, mind, and soul. Nearly all the recorded words of Jesus are contained in the four gospels. But, did you know that a full ten percent of His words are quotations from the Old Testament? This tells us something about Jesus’ knowledge of the Scriptures. And, if He relied so heavily on the Scriptures, doesn’t that provide motivation for us to diligently study the Bible for ourselves?

David was a man who sought after the heart of God. He enjoyed great spiritual victories but also suffered humiliating personal defeats. Through it all, David never lost his love for God’s word. He exclaimed, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). He went on to describe God’s word as “sweeter than honey” (vs. 103). That is how a God’s servant feels about the Bible. Commit your heart to God’s word and mold your life around His precepts. Make sure that, when your life on earth is over, you will have chosen the good part.

— Glen Elliott —