“‘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.’” Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
“What if you stopped doing all the things?”
Her question shocked me — a friend was praying over me, but I didn’t expect to hear that.
She continued, “You’ve been telling yourself you have to earn God’s love by what you do.” She was right. As much as I knew God’s love wasn’t dependent on my performance, I certainly wasn’t living like it.
Fueled by caffeine and perfectionism, somewhere, somehow, I started to believe I wasn’t enough unless I was doing enough. I lived each day like a sponge constantly wrung dry, a cup continually poured out until empty. Wasn’t I created to serve and sacrifice? I thought. This is what good Christian girls do, right?
The answer is found in a small Bible passage about two sisters, tucked away in the Gospel of Luke.
Preoccupied with curating the perfect dinner for their perfect guest — Jesus — Martha snapped. Her sister, Mary, wasn’t helping at all but was sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Hoping for some divine backup, Martha pleaded with Jesus: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40, NIV).
I’m sure Jesus’ response was a shock: “‘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’” (Luke 10:41-42).
Like Martha’s, my heart needs to hear the details in Jesus’ response: Jesus didn’t say all the things Martha had done for Him were wrong. They were all good things — they just weren’t the best thing.
Jesus cares more about us being with Him than what we do for Him. Jesus doesn’t need our works. He wants our hearts. Our time. Our presence. Before we do the good things, we can first pursue the best thing: sitting in awe and wonder at His feet.
Friend, you were created to be in relationship with the One whose feet you sit at. So in today's key verse, place your name where Martha’s is as Jesus gives a gentle and kind reminder that might sound something like this:
My dear [your name], you are worried and upset over all the things you do. But before you ever did anything, I loved you, and I always will. I care about you being with Me, not just what you do for Me.
While Mary and Martha had the gift of a meal with Jesus, we have the gift of Him living within us. Which makes every day an opportunity for us to be sponges soaking up His presence, cups filled to overflowing with His love, Truth, and power.
Jesus, let today be my invitation to lay down my works and to rest at Your feet. May I receive Your love and not try to earn it. Help me to do good things with my focus on the best thing: being with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Matthew 3:16-17, “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy’” (NLT).
Jesus was baptized before His earthly ministry began. Before His first miracle, healing, preaching, or teaching as the incarnate Messiah, God said He loved Jesus. He brought the Father great joy! And He hadn’t yet done anything we might call "impressive"! What works do you need to lay down or pause today to fully rest at His feet? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!
© 2025 by Meghan Mellinger. All rights reserved.
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