The story of Mary and Martha is a well-known story of Scripture that demonstrates how two sisters, two members of the same family, can approach life in two distinct ways. Both sisters are good people; both are friends of Jesus. Jesus enjoyed the hospitality they offered Him whenever He visited in their home.

The story we have only illustrates how the sisters behaved on one specific occasion, but it no doubt indicates what their basic approach to life involved. I'm sure that Mary did her share of the housework and that Martha had some lighter moments when she wasn't so task oriented. Without more information it is hard to create a complete profile on either sister, but I think it is fair to estimate some general characteristics that could describe many of us.

Martha and Mary each decided what their guest wanted or needed whenever He visited them. Martha determined that He needed a clean house and well-prepared meals. We cannot fault her for these things are certainly desirable. Mary, on the other hand, believed that Jesus needed someone to listen to Him; perhaps He needed some word of encouragement or to know that someone loved him for who He was rather than for what He could do for them.

Imagine for a moment that God is coming to visit you: What does God want? I'm certain that God wants our house to be in order. But I am even more convinced that what God really wants is to spend time with us in order that a relationship can develop. Time is one of the most precious things we have today. There never seems to be enough of it. If the truth were known we would discover that we also waste a lot of it engaged in activities that are meaningless. I'm sure Jesus said to Martha, "I appreciate how clean things are and the aroma from the kitchen smells wonderful; I'm really looking forward to your home cooking, but what I really want is to just visit with you. Come here and sit down for a few minutes."

God wants to have a relationship with each of us in order that we can be filled with God's Spirit. God wants to spend time with us in order for us to learn of God's ways so they can become part of our life. God wants to be loved by us which is demonstrated by how we acknowledge God for who God is and for what God does. God wants to know that nothing else in our life is more important to us than God.

We read in Deuteronomy 5:9, "You shall not bow down to other things or worship them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God." In Deuteronomy 6:4-5 this thought continues, "The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."

What Jesus was saying to Martha is what God is saying to us, "You must choose what your priority will be and I desire to be it."

What does this take? First, it requires a decision on our part. Who or what is going to be first in my life? There are many worthy choices; some are even necessary choices, but ultimately only one thing can be in the first slot on our list of priorities. God wants that position and the first thing this requires is our decision to place God above all else.

Secondly, it takes commitment our part. God has made the ultimate commitment to us. This promise is made throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 31:8, God has Moses tell Joshua and the people of Israel the following, "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

In John 14 Jesus is preparing the disciples for Jesus' impending death. Jesus promises in 14:3 that He is going to prepare a place for them and will come again to take them to be with Him so that where He is they will be also. In verse 18 Jesus promises, "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you."

What does it take? It takes a commitment on our part to be with God just as God has promised to be with us. It takes time. You cannot have a relationship with someone without spending quality time listening to each other as your deepest thoughts and feelings are shared. It takes practice. A relationship is normally not built with one brief encounter. In our marriage class my wife and I are currently leading we are sharing that it usually takes two or more years of quality, positive sharing for a significant trust level to be developed between husband and wife. How much time and how many experiences are required before we can truly trust God with our life?

Finally, it takes renewal. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3 that each of us has to be made over again by the power of God's love working through the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to acknowledge and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is an entirely different matter, a process, if you will, to allow that acceptance of Christ on our part to lead to our life being transformed. This is what God wants and it takes our willingness to be changed in order for it to happen.

You may well ask, "Why should I do it? Why should I make God be the absolute priority of my life? God has made it very clear this is what God wants. So, this is what is best for God. God created us to be in relationship with our Creator. Moreover, this is what is best for me. If I have been created for loving relationships, which is something each of us must decide is true or not, if I have been created for such relationships then what better way to do this than to be in a relationship with God who loves me perfectly and who is able to teach me how to love myself and others.

Martha wanted Jesus to love her and decided she could earn this love or even deserve it because she had a clean house and cooked great meals. She got it backwards which many people do. You don't earn love; you receive it. Jesus loved Martha before He ever got to her house. If Martha had known what Mary did, that Jesus loved them, she would not have had to be so busy being worried with details. She could have found time to clean the house and cook the meals knowing Jesus loved her. Although this might seem like a small thing we need to know that we are capable of loving because God first loved us. We are capable of serving because God came to us while we were still sinners. God did not wait for us to get our house in order.

We have been offered a gift by God. It is in our own best interest to accept the gift, open the gift and make use of the gift. The gift is a gift of self, a gift of love, and a gift of life. It is what God wants for us, a relationship of love, acceptance and affirmation. It is what Jesus tells Martha is "the better part" and it lasts forever.