Corrie Ten Boom once said, "If Satan can't make you bad, he will make you busy." Keeping right priorities requires discernment to say "no" sometimes, even to good things.
Do you recall when Jesus went to dine with Mary and Martha? Martha was distracted with all the preparation. Jesus said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (italics added).
Both Mary and Martha loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him, but their choices made all the difference. Not only did Jesus acknowledge that Mary's choice to just be with Him was the good part, but that ultimately her choice was the only one that would satisfy.
You experience that "good part" when you are with Him:
- He gives you rest when you are heavy-hearted (Matthew 11:28).
- He gives peace in a way the world cannot (John 14:27).
- He gives you wisdom (Psalm 19:7).
A Tale of Two Lumberjacks
Two lumberjacks, a younger one and an older one, raced to see who could cut down the most trees in a single day. At the end of the day the winner was obvious. The older lumberjack had won. The younger man could not believe it!
"How could you have cut down more trees than I did?" he asked. "Every hour you sat down while I kept right on cutting. I don't understand. How could you have cut more trees while sitting so much?"
"When I sat down, I was sharpening my axe," the older lumberjack said. "Why didn't you stop to sharpen your axe?" "I didn't have time," the younger man said. "I was too busy cutting!"
This story reminds us that in order to be an effective servant, to make our lives count for Christ, we should take time regularly to "sharpen" our lives.{1}
