Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus[a] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,42 but one thing is necessary.[b] Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Have you ever boiled milk? I’ve learned more than a few times that if you don’t pay attention, that sucker will be boiling over the sides, making your whole house smell like burnt milk in no time flat. That happened to me this morning. Being the great dad that I am, I was trying to make a hot breakfast for my kids on a cold day. I was diligently stirring the milk to make sure it didn’t boil over, but I wasn’t watching what I was doing. I was on my phone. When the mess happened, Alaina said, “Dad, that’s why you shouldn’t be on your phone.” You would think with my history of milk messes I would’ve known this already, but I was so sure I could multi-task, I was going to finish breakfast AND my morning reading at the same time!
I know everyone thinks they are great multi-takers, but studies show that no matter what, if we are not focused on one thing, overall productivity suffers. That’s why texting and driving is SO dangerous; that’s why you can’t serve God AND money; and that’s why Mary chose the better portion.
Focusing on one thing is not always easy. But when we make God the One, we might be able to order everything else in our lives in such a way that our cups run over with God’s providence instead of burnt milk.
Take a few deep breaths and ask God to show you one way you can focus more on him in your life.
Ask God to help you make that a priority today and for the rest of this week.
In Christ,
Ray