But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving…- Luke 10:40, Amplified Bible

Martha had Jesus Christ Himself in her house, and she desperately wanted to serve Him. In the midst of her service, however, she became a little bitter towards her sister, Mary, who was listening to Jesus teach rather than helping serve. In Luke 10:40 (Amplified Bible), Martha approached Jesus 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]!”

A casual reader of the Bible might, at this point of the text, expect Jesus to rebuke Mary as being lazy. But instead of rebuking Mary, Christ rebuked Martha:

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10: 41-42, KJV)

In other words, Christ was telling Martha the worker-bee, “There is nothing better you can do than learn of Me. Don’t let your service hinder our relationship.”

We fill our lives with business (perhaps “busy-ness” is a better rendering of the word) – both Christian and secular – that demands so much of our time that we ignore our most needful business: increasing our understanding of and relationship with our Lord. Our first and foremost duty (and privilege) is to sit at Jesus’ feet. That is where we receive instruction on how to live. That is where we receive instruction on how to resist sin. That is where we receive our orders on what to do proactively for Christ’s kingdom. In short, it is at Jesus’ feet that we receive our purpose, our passion, our power, our protection, and our provision to live life God’s way.

Every time we meet with Jesus, we enjoy the relationship that was severed in the Garden but restored at the Cross. Though we should serve our Lord out of a heart of gratitude, never let service crowd out the relationship God desired so much that He died for it.