The One Necessary Thing

Learning to Put Listening to Jesus Above Everything Else

Luke 10:41–42 — “But the Lord answered her, ‘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.’”

Opening Reflection

Some of the hardest choices we make are not between something good and something bad. They are between things that are all genuinely important. Family needs our attention. Work needs to be done. People need our help. Responsibilities cannot simply be ignored. Even serving God can fill our days with worthwhile activity. Martha understood that kind of life. When Jesus entered her home, she wanted to serve Him well. There was nothing wrong with preparing a meal or showing hospitality. Yet Scripture tells us that Martha “was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40). Her problem was not that she was doing something bad. Something important had distracted her from something more important.

Taking a Devotional View

While Martha was busy serving, Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). Martha saw everything that needed to be done. Mary saw an opportunity that could not be missed. Jesus was speaking, and she wanted to hear Him. That is why Jesus gently told Martha, “you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:41–42). Jesus was not teaching Martha to neglect her responsibilities, nor was He suggesting that serving others was unimportant. He was teaching her that there is an order to what matters. Some things are important, but one thing must come first. Before our service for Christ comes our attention to Christ. Before rushing into everything that demands our attention, we need to listen to the One who should direct it.

That same danger confronts us today. We can become so busy with good things—even things we believe we are doing for Jesus—that we spend very little time listening to Him. The problem is not necessarily that we need to eliminate all those other things. We need to put them in their proper place. Jesus still calls us to the place Mary chose: at His feet, attentive to His Word. Many things in life are important, but they are not equally important. When everything seems urgent, we must remember the one necessary thing. Listen to Jesus first. Let His Word shape your priorities, calm your anxious heart, and guide what you do next. When Christ has first place, the other important things in life can begin to find their proper place.

Key Thoughts & Takeaways

Key Thoughts

Good things can become distractions. Martha was serving Jesus, yet her serving distracted her from listening to Jesus (Luke 10:40).
Not everything important is equally important. Jesus acknowledged the “many things” occupying Martha but pointed her toward the “one thing” that was necessary (Luke 10:41–42).
Listening to Jesus must come first. Mary chose to sit at His feet and listen to His teaching (Luke 10:39).
Our service should flow from our relationship with Christ. Before becoming consumed with what we are doing for Jesus, we need to make certain we are listening to Jesus.
Putting Jesus first helps everything else find its proper place. His Word gives us wisdom to distinguish between what merely demands our attention and what truly deserves priority (Matthew 6:33).

Ask Yourself

Have good and worthwhile responsibilities begun to crowd out my time listening to Jesus?
What are the “many things” that most often distract my attention from Him?
When everything seems important, do I allow Christ and His Word to determine what comes first?
Am I spending more energy doing things for Jesus than sitting at His feet and listening to Him?
What can I change today to give “the one necessary thing” its rightful place in my life?

Lord Jesus, I confess how easily I can become distracted by the many things that seem to demand my attention. Even good and necessary responsibilities can sometimes crowd out my time with You. Help me to recognize that listening to You must come first. Teach me to sit at Your feet, receive Your Word, and allow Your truth to order everything else in my life. Give me wisdom to know what truly deserves my attention, and let everything I do for You flow from a heart that has first spent time with You. Amen.