One Thing Is Needful

She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching.

Luke 10:39 AMP

If you have followed my ministry, you know that one of my favorite verses is Romans 5:17: “Much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Unfortunately, there are people who mock what the Word of God says, thinking that receiving is too simplistic and insubstantial. Their focus is on doing, on duty, on what is man’s responsibility.

My dear reader, don’t ever underestimate the power of receiving. Man’s greatest doing—his greatest duty and greatest responsibility—is to humble himself to receive from the Lord Jesus!

Look at what Mary did—she sat at our Lord’s feet and just pulled, drew, and received from her Savior. But Martha came along and complained to Jesus, saying, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40).

What was Martha consumed with? Duty, responsibility, serving, and doing!

I believe that the Martha-type of believers we have today who are constantly complaining against believers like Mary are precious, beloved, and deeply sincere. But they can be so committed to their duties that they forget the person it’s all about. Martha was zealous about serving the Lord, but she ended up being hopping mad with her sister and even chided the Lord.

Mary looked beyond the exterior and saw a fullness in the Lord to draw from. Martha, on the other hand, saw Him in the natural, as needing her ministry. Which sister do you think made the Lord feel like God? Whom was the Lord more pleased with?

Can you see how Martha completely missed the point of all her service? She was utterly consumed by her duty and missed the divine deity, the Lord Jesus Himself, Who was sitting right in her living room!

And listen to our Lord’s response (and I believe that He said this tenderly and with a loving smile): “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42 KJV).

I believe that when Martha heard that, she had a revelation immediately. Instead of buzzing around and fuming at the Lord and her sister, she put down her pots and pans, removed her apron, and sat with her sister to receive from the Lord. Never underestimate the power of receiving from our Lord.

The more you receive the abundance of grace and gift of righteousness, the more you will reign, the more you will perform, the more you will be responsible, the more you will glorify the Lord, and the more you will fulfill your call, duty, and destiny. Because Mary did the one thing needful and focused on receiving from the Lord, she ended up performing the right ser- vice for Him.
We read in John 12:1–8 that she anointed the Lord with costly fragrant oil for His burial. All the other women who wanted to anoint Him for His burial were too late on resurrection morning (Luke 24:1–3). Mary was able to do the right thing at the right time because she kept her heart centered on receiving from the Lord. So keep receiving from Jesus. Every day, receive His Word, His grace, and His gift of righteousness. And keep confessing your righteousness in Him—it will result in you doing the right thing at the right time.

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution.