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MAKING TIME FOR GOD

  • Dec 4, 2023
  • 2 min read

The Upper Room Devotion for Monday, December 4, 2023, was written by John D. Bown of Minnesota.



Scripture


38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 NRSV

Author's Thoughts


I've been doing early morning devotions using The Upper Room for over 35 years. I am now retired, but I remember that when I was working there were mornings when my mind was preoccupied with work and family responsibilities. Sometimes I felt I had so much to do that I shortened my devotion time so I could move on to the day's activities. In hindsight, I can see that I was putting other priorities ahead of spending time with the Lord.


We see several examples of this in the Bible. One story is in Luke 9:57-62, where two men said they would follow Jesus, but only after they had attended to other tasks. Another example is from today's Bible reading. When Jesus arrived to visit Martha and Mary, Martha was too distracted and busy to spend time with the Lord. When she complained about Mary sitting and listening to Jesus, he gently rebuked her. Martha let little things get in the way of big things. I can relate because I have done the same. As I now reflect back, I can see that the days when I was "too busy" were exactly the days I should have been spending more time in prayer, not less. Our goal is not to fit Jesus into a busy schedule; it's to make him the focus of our life.

Pastor Anthony's Thoughts

Friends,

Replace with Pastor Anthony's thoughts

Author's Prayer


Heavenly Father, we know that sometimes we get too caught up in the daily activities of life. Help us always to focus on you. Amen.




 
 
 

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