# Serve or Listen - LUKE 10:38-42 - 2024-08-23 This passage is well-known: Martha and Mary. Jesus visits their house; Martha is distracted with serving, while Mary sits at the Lord's feet listening. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her, but Jesus replies, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." This is a classic text about the tension between service and contemplation. Martha represents the active life, serving others, being busy. Mary represents the contemplative life, listening to Jesus. Jesus affirms Mary's choice as the "good portion" - that is, listening to Him is the one necessary thing. Service is good, but it should flow from a heart that has first sat at Jesus' feet. Many of us, especially in ministry and tech, tend to be Marthas. We are always doing, serving, fixing. We can become anxious and troubled about many things. The temptation is to equate our worth with our productivity. But Jesus says the one thing necessary is to sit at His feet and listen. That does not mean we should never serve. But it means our service must be rooted in our listening. If we serve without first listening, we become like Martha - anxious, troubled, and resentful (she asks Jesus to tell Mary to help). Our service can become self-serving, driven by pride or a need for validation. So the challenge: are you more like Martha or Mary? Which one are you? Which one should you be? The answer is both: we must sit at Jesus' feet first, then serve. The order matters. If you find yourself overwhelmed with service, take a step back. Choose the good portion. Sit at His feet. Listen. Then serve from that place.