Choosing The Best Part

INTRODUCTION: Today’s woman has no easy task. More appliances and conveniences are placed within the home with the goal of making the household chores easier. Things have certainly changed from the time that I was a child. There were no micro-wave ovens, icemaker refrigerators, and many of the other modern appliances found in today¡¦s home. However, in spite of all these changes that supposedly add to the convenience of the home, women today are probably busier than at any other point in history.

Expectations for women have changed as well. Today, she is expected to not only cook the bacon, she has to help bring it home as well. Even though she may work 40 hours plus, she is still expected to be the main housekeeper. She is often expected to keep the house, cook the meals, wash the clothes, and take care of the children. Their day is often from sunup to sundown.

Then there is the super mom

This is the woman that attempts to have it all, a good education, a great career, and be a great mother as well. Many women are finding that this is not that easy.

Regardless of time schedules, and calendar organizers, there is still only 24 hours to work with in a day, even though at times we wish for 36 hours in a day so I could get everything done as well, but there is no such thing.

With everything that is expected of them, many women try to cut corners in order to make for time for a busy day.

The problem with this is that one aspect that often gets cut or overlooked is that of the spiritual. Many women, (and men as well) fail to make time for God.

If anyone focuses only on the material, and neglects the spiritual, they will not be fulfilled and happy.

Someone once said, It is the woman that sets the mood for the home. My version of that is "If mom ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy."

Yet, often overlooked, and trivialized by our society is the greatest opportunity to mold the future of our nation, the future of our communities, and the future of our churches. That opportunity is called motherhood!

Napoleon who once said, The fate of a child is always the work of his mother.

Our passage today, I realize, is not about mothers.

The scripture never mentions either Martha or Mary as being mothers. That’s one details that we may never know. We can only speculate and wonder.

Tradition sees Martha as the older sister who was widowed and who took her brother and sister under her care. What we do know about them was that they lived in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem.

However, Martha and Mary were women, who faced decisions that were important, with results that had eternal consequences. Jesus loved both of these women, they were dear to Him, along with their brother, Lazarus.

Here in Luke, the only time they are mentioned in this Gospel, we are told that Martha received Jesus into her house.

Jesus was an up and coming rabbi, Who was gathering a following. No doubt, Martha wanted everything to be just right, after all, some were even saying that this was the Messiah. She was busy, working, while Mary, her sister, was listening to the words that Jesus taught. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the best part. This passage of scripture shows three differences between Martha and Mary.

I want to show them to you this morning, all the while remembering that Mary had chosen the better part. This text applies to mothers, women, as well as to men. See where you fit in this morning.

I THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN FOCUS.

A Both of them had differences focuses.

1 Webster Dictionary defines focus as the point where reflected rays come together, the center.

2 Here by focus, I mean the things they were concerned about.

3 That which was the center of their lives.

B Notice what they were paying attention to.

1 The scripture tells us that Martha was concerned about serving.

a That is what she was focused upon.

b No doubt she was excited. Jesus was coming to her house.

c She wanted everything to be just right.

d Jesus was the honored guest so it was customary to prepare a meal for the guest.

e I don’t know what was being prepared, but I’m sure that Martha put everything she had into it.

f She was busy serving the Master.

I have met people who spend all the time being busy. They serve on every committee the church has. They teach Sunday School, they teach Wednesday night Bible study classes, they head up the Ladies¡¦ Ministries. If there’s a position open in the church they do their best to fill it. However, they do all these things, yet they never find the time to develop a closer relationship with Jesus. Did you know that you can be too busy for the Lord?