Choose the Best - by Susan Barnes
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
As Christians we usually find it easier "to do" than "to be still". It was a problem Martha had in Luke 10:42. Jesus said to Martha, regarding her sister who sat at his feet, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her". The significant word here is "chosen". Often we feel we have no choice but to continue doing the same things that we have always done. It is hard to make decisions which will change our habitual practices.
Mary's choice to sit at Jesus' feet was radical in her culture. She wasn't sitting out of laziness or out of defiance for culture norms but rather because she wanted to learn. Similarly if we want to be true disciples we will choose to find those times when we can sit in Jesus' presence and learn from him, even when others are pressurizing us to return to more familiar roles.
Furthermore it is usually not the bad things we do that get in the way of us being still in Jesus' presence but the good things, like being hospitable. Good things can rob us of the best, if we are not discerning.
Mary chose what is better and we can choose too. Choose to be still; choose to learn; choose to spend time with God.
Susan, an Australian pastor's wife, loves to enrich people's understanding of God. She regularly writes devotional thoughts on Bible passages. Contact | 
