In (Luke 10:38-42) we read a fascinating account of Martha and Mary and their interacting with Jesus: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”
The reason I find this account so interesting is that Jesus is telling Martha that there is a time to be busy about the Lord’s work and a time to be busy about just the Lord. Too often we get so busy doing things for the Lord that we find little time left in our busy schedules to just be alone with Jesus. Notice in the passage above that Mary is commended for just spending time listening to Jesus.
As Christians we need to be balanced in our time spent doing things for the kingdom and our quiet time alone with our Lord. I like what Matthew Kelly says regarding this point: “If you don’t have time to pray and read the scriptures, you are busier than God ever intended you to be.”1
Notice while these two disciplines, prayer and reading the Bible, on the surface seem to be quiet time activities, they are critical to advancing the kingdom of God. Prayer while silent, actually activates the power of God to do amazing things for the kingdom. And Bible reading is the spiritual food we need to build our relationship with Jesus and give us the power to go forth into battle, again, advancing the work of the gospel.
Did you know that if you spend 15 minutes a day in reading the Bible you will be able to read the entire Bible in one year. 15 minutes a day comes out to about 1% of your day. If you say you are too busy to read your Bible daily, then my friends, you are too busy, and need to re-prioritize your schedule. And sadly, for many Christians, they just don’t pray much at all. Instead, they spend too much time on doing things in their own strength, without invoking the power of God that is available through prayer.
I have found in my own life that prayer and Bible reading are essential to building up my relationship with Jesus and preparing me to then get busy doing the work of the Lord. May I challenge you to do a spiritual inventory to see if you are more like Martha or Mary. If you find you are neglecting your time alone with Jesus through prayer and reading the Scriptures, I implore you to make a course correction. A quality quiet time is just that – a time where you stop your busyness and just get alone with the Savior. I guarantee you will be blessed!
Amen, thank you