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Highlight Passage – NKJV: Luke 10: 41-42 [NKJV] …
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
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Highlight Passage [Context] – NKJV: Luke 10: 38-42 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passages #1 Psalms 27: 4 [NKJV] …
4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek; … that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, … to behold the beauty of the LORD, … and to inquire in His temple.
Reference Passages #2 John 12: 1-8 … Go to this link … Mary again worships at the feet of Jesus …
Reference Passages #3 Romans 12: 1-2 [NKJV] …
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Reference Passages #4 John 14: 21 [NKJV] …
21 “ … He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread devotional entry reminded me that I too often get sucked into the world’s con-job … the “Tyranny of the Urgent.” And the ODB for today reported that social scientists have shown that people in the last decade or so have been measured walking faster and faster, measuring our tendency to march to the pace of the world rather than to the pace of our Lord.
And a couple of stories in the New Testament, both involving one person, Mary, the daughter of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, illustrate how we should walk and live our lives. The two stories are found in Luke 10 and John 12 respectively; and they are linked above for the reader to study. Both stories found Jesus visiting the home of His friend, Lazarus in Bethany; and they highlight Lazarus’ daughter, Mary, showing Jesus the priority worship He deserved. In the former story in Luke 10, Mary’s sister Martha wanted Mary to come and help her with the dinner preparation work as they entertained Jesus; but Mary wanted to spend quality time at Jesus’ feet; and Jesus told Lazarus’ family that Mary was doing the right thing.
In the John 12 incident, after Lazarus had been raised from the dead, Jesus was once again visiting their home; and Mary poured a very expensive bottle of fragrance over Jesus’ feet, anointing Him in worship just days before Jesus would be nailed to the cross during Passover. Jesus’ disciples, who were present for this latter incident, especially Judas of Iscariot, were taken back by Mary’s extravagant display of worship; but Jesus, once again, told them Mary had it right, sacrificing much to worship Him as her Lord.
Both stories illustrate what the Apostle Paul would later teach and exhort Christians on how to live (see Romans 12: 1-2 copied above). And the pace and priority Jesus asks of us (for example in Luke 9: 23, which I hope you know by heart by now), is quite different than what the “tyranny of the urgent” and the world would demand. God wants us to slow down, as did Lazarus’ daughter, Mary, and sacrifice quality time worshipping our Lord. Yes, Jesus desires our close fellowship more than we apparently desire the same of Him [see John 14: 21 above]; but our worship of and fellowship with our Lord requires our decision to give of our selves to be with Him and to follow His leadership.
That was what Mary, the daughter of Lazarus, did; and that’s what we should be doing – EVERY DAY!! And that’s why I’m here this morning, trying to slow down and be with my Lord. How about you, have you spent your priority time with Jesus today?
My Prayer for Today … Thank You, Lord, for being here with me again this morning. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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