Luke 10:40
“But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”
Martha is like so many people in that she was so “cumbered about much serving” that she missed the opportunity to enjoy the presence of the Saviour. There is no doubt that Martha wanted the best for the Saviour, and that is very commendable, but she was so “careful and troubled” about getting the meal and the house ready that she missed the greatest opportunity of sitting and listening to Jesus.
The word “cumbered” means: to perplex or embarrass; to distract or trouble. In other words, Martha was afraid of being embarrassed because something wouldn’t be right. Her mentality caused her to be distracted and miss the true value of Jesus visiting her home. When you become like Martha and become so cumbered about everything, you miss the blessing of enjoying those who have come to visit you. Let me give you a few suggestions that will help you not to become distracted and cumbered about much serving.
First, do your best all the time. You must always ask yourself, “Have I done my best?” I’ve learned that if you do your best all the time, you won’t have to be concerned with doing your best the one special time. If your lifestyle is doing your best, it won’t matter how anyone catches you because they will catch you doing your best. For you to do your best when others come over and not do your best for those closest to you is wrong. Your immediate family deserves your best more than others. When you put the shine on for others and not for your family, you are telling your family that they are not as important to you as others. Get your priorities straight and do your best for your family and you will never have to put on the shine for guests who come to visit. Whether it is a church, organization or a family, your normal life should be to do your best all the time.
Second, work to please and not to impress. Martha was more concerned with impressing the Saviour instead of pleasing Him. Let me encourage you to stop trying to impress people and live to please the Saviour. Living to impress is selfish and wrong because you want people to notice you. If you live to please the Saviour, you will do your best all the time because it is a reflection of Him.
Third, don’t rob the presence for the present. Martha was so concerned with the presence of Jesus that she didn’t enjoy the present moment of His presence in her house. Friend, you can become so concerned with trying to impress people that you forget to enjoy them. When a person comes to visit, they come because they want to spend time with you. Don’t let their presence keep you from enjoy time with them.
Finally, if a person is going to judge you by how you put the shine on, they are probably not the type of person you with whom you should associate. This type of person will eventually not like something that you do. True friends enjoy you for who you are and not for what you can do for them.
This devotional is in no way giving you an excuse not to do your best, but it is a simple encouragement that if you do your best all the time, you can enjoy every person whom God sends your way. Be careful about being cumbered about like Martha. Do your best to please the LORD all the time, and you will be able to enjoy the presence of those who visit.