ARE YOU CUMBERED?

In Luke 10: 38 – 42, there is the story of Jesus being invited into the house of Martha who had a sister named Mary.  
In this story Jesus must have been teaching and it is written that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word.
 Martha on the other hand was very busy about much serving.  Luke 10: 40 says, “But Martha was cumbered about much serving…”
This word, cumbered, means distracted, drawn different ways and overcharged with care.  Martha actually complained to Jesus, saying in verse 40, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone.  Bid her that she may help me.”
Listen to Jesus reply to Martha in verse 41, “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things…”
That word careful meant to be anxious and agitated.  Then Jesus said, “but one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.”
Let’s look a couple of very important points Jesus made here:
1. Mary chose the better thing to do.  She made it her priority to listen to the words of Jesus.  Jesus said that the word she heard would not be taken away from her.  In the parable of the sower of the Word, Satan will try to steal that word from you, but in this case he cannot.  Why?  Mary made a free-will decision to hear and receive that word.  Satan cannot steal anything from you that you chose to keep.
2.Jesus made the point that being distracted, drawn different ways and overcharged with care is bad.  Also being anxious and troubled isn’t the will of God for your life.
The Holy Spirit made it a point to have this story in the Word of God to teach us about proper priorities.  Jesus said in Matt. 6: 33, to seek FIRST the kingdom of God.  The only place to learn about the kingdom of God and His righteousness is in the Word of God.  
Mary chose to listen, to seek above everything else, the words of Jesus.  That should be our priority also.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted, drawn in different ways, overcharged with care, anxious and agitated over and above the necessity of stopping everything and listening to the Word of God.
As Proverbs 4 puts it, incline thine ear, keep the word before your eyes, and hide the word in your heart.  That is the better thing; the only thing that is really needful.  With that decision comes the promise we read about in Proverbs 4: 22, “For they are life unto those that find them and health (healing and medicine) to all their flesh.”