Serve Jehovah Without Distraction

MARTHA WAS DISTRACTED

In response to their hospitality, Jesus is moved to give Martha and Mary a spiritual gift. Mary seizes the opportunity to take in knowledge from the mouth of the Great Teacher and sits down "at the feet of the Lord . . ., listening to what he was saying."  Martha could have done the same.  No doubt,  Jesus would have commended Martha for giving him her full attention.

However, Martha gets busy preparing a special meal and does other chores to  make Jesus' stay as nice as possible.  But all this work is causing her needless anxiety, and she becomes irritated with Mary.  Jesus notices that Martha is trying to do too much, so he kindly says:  "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things."  He then suggests that just one dish of food would be sufficient. Jesus now turns his attention  to Mary and clears her of any negligence, saying:  "For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her."  Mary may soon have forgotten  what she ate on that special occasion, but she would never forget the commendation and fine spiritual food she received  by giving Jesus her undivided attention.  More than 60 years later, the apostle John wrote:  Jesus love Martha and her sister." (John 11:5) These inspired words surely indicate that Martha took to heart Jesus' loving correction and that she strove to serve Jehovah faithfully for the rest of her life.  

Concerning distractions, how does the world compare with the world of Bible times?  "Never in history has mankind boasted  superior means of communication, high speed, printing presses, profusely illustrated magazines, the radio, movies, television. . . .They bombard us daily with fresh distractions . . .Not too long ago, it was fondly thought that ours was 'The Ag of Enlightenment.'  More and more it is becoming 'The Age of Distraction." These words were spoken to a group of students  in the United States over 60 years ago.  "Distractions," said The Watchtower of September 15, 1958,  "will likely increase as this world nears its doom." How true! And this raises an important question:  What can we do to avoid needless distractions and become more like Mary, keeping our focus on spiritual things? 

Next time: Serve Jehovah Without Distractions - USING THE WORLD BUT NOT TO THE FULL

From The Watchtower magazine