Two Moms, One Jesus

As I sit here in Joe Wheeler State Park on a cloudy, windy, cool Saturday morning in

Fall, I am reminded of a familiar passage of Scripture in Luke 10. The cardinals are

twittering about, fussing from one tree to the next much like Martha was in this passage.

There are already children passing by on their bicycles and older people walking their

dogs, each busy about their own affairs. As I look on the busyness of this scene I have

to wonder, how many of them are Marthas and how many are Marys? How many of

these creatures, human or feathered, have taken the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and

Join me now as we settle at the Master’s feet and consider this passage of Scripture.

Pray as you settle in, that our Dear Lord would send His Holy Spirit to teach you and

instruct you in all wisdom and understanding.

Nehemiah 9:20, “Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest

not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.” (KJV)

Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village (Bethany);

and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called

Mary, who was seated at Jesus' feet, listening to His word. But Martha was

distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You

not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help

me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and

bothered about so many things; But only one thing is needful and necessary, for

Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”

There were two home educating moms who lived in a certain town. The first mom’s

name was Martha and the other mom’s name was Mary. Each mom had three (3)

children that they were educating at home. Both of these moms loved their children with

a pure and sacred love. (1 Peter 1:22) Because of that love, each mom sat at Jesus’

As a part of their daily curriculum each mom provided time for her children to hear

God’s word; she wanted her children to learn to sit at His feet also. (Psalm 34:11) The

diversity came in the amount of time and the presentation that Jesus was given.

Luke 10:40, “But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much

serving; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister

has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part

Martha’s children were older and she had become concerned about grade

point averages, credit hours, college entrance requirements and the like.

Mary had younger children and she was cherishing the time that she had to

share and instruct her children in the art of sitting at Jesus’ feet. (Luke 10:39)

Luke 10:41, “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you

are worried and bothered about so many things.’” (NAS)

Matthew 6:25, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your

life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to

what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than

Martha’s children were enrolled in many extra-curricular activities and this

kept the family on the road a lot. Many days went by where they just didn’t

have time for devotions. The hassel of lessons and time constraints pressed

Mary limited errands and extra-curricular activities to one day a week. She

would often look longingly at the various activities offered. Tempted as she

was, she would quietly shake her head and kept her darlings home. She knew

the one thing that is needed, that good part. The part of eternal worth that

would not be take away. (Luke 10:42, Luke 8:35)

Oh Darling friend, which mom do you more closely resemble? I can

honestly tell you I have a helping of Mary, but sadly a larger dose of Martha.

I find my van traveling up and down Savannah Highway far too much. As the

weather turns cooler and outdoor activities become more limited, I look

forward to more time at home with my children. I want to provide more time

In the same vein of thinking, I also want to take great care in how I

present Jesus to my children. Too many outward trappings, too many bells

and whistles will prevent me from presenting Jesus’ word at all. I will get so

busy in the preparations that I will never get around to the one thing that is

So back on the shelf goes the elaborate Bible curriculum, my list of to-dos

is left on the computer, my telephone is answered by my servant - the

answering machine. All of those things are good and will need attention, but

right now my children need attention. They need time at Jesus’ feet.

I can rest in this: Jesus is the Redeemer of my time. Every one of the tasks

that are according to His will, He will provide time for. If I allow Him to plan

my day; if I take the necessary time with Him; all the other things will fall into

their rightful place. Won’t you trust your day to Jesus?

So how about it, Mary? Will you bring your precious children to Him and

settle at His feet? This is the one thing that is needed and will not be taken

away. Come on mom… this is of eternal value!

Everything that Martha was doing did need to be done, but the mundane

daily tasks can become a master. They must be kept in their proper place.

Time with Jesus is the very meat and drink for our souls. A moment with

Jesus can make an eternal difference in the rest of our day. All the worldly

tasks and accord will never amount to more than a pile of stubble compared

to that time spent with Him! Don’t let the worries of this world rob you and

your children of your most important need, Jesus!

This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication you need to contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details.


	Crooked Pines Ministries \| home back to Articles by Mary E. Woodis Two Moms, One Jesus By: Mary E. Woodis October 19, 2002 Luke 10:38-42 Prelude As I sit here in Joe Wheeler State Park on a cloudy, windy, cool Saturday morning in Fall, I am reminded of a familiar passage of Scripture in Luke 10. The cardinals are twittering about, fussing from one tree to the next much like Martha was in this passage. There are already children passing by on their bicycles and older people walking their dogs, each busy about their own affairs. As I look on the busyness of this scene I have to wonder, how many of them are Marthas and how many are Marys? How many of these creatures, human or feathered, have taken the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and sing His praise? Join me now as we settle at the Master’s feet and consider this passage of Scripture. Pray as you settle in, that our Dear Lord would send His Holy Spirit to teach you and instruct you in all wisdom and understanding. Nehemiah 9:20, “Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.” (KJV) Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village (Bethany); and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at Jesus' feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; But only one thing is needful and necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’” There were Two Moms… There were two home educating moms who lived in a certain town. The first mom’s name was Martha and the other mom’s name was Mary. Each mom had three (3) children that they were educating at home. Both of these moms loved their children with a pure and sacred love. (1 Peter 1:22) Because of that love, each mom sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. (see Romans 10:17) As a part of their daily curriculum each mom provided time for her children to hear God’s word; she wanted her children to learn to sit at His feet also. (Psalm 34:11) The diversity came in the amount of time and the presentation that Jesus was given. Martha… You are so busy! Luke 10:40, “But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!’” Amplified version Martha’s children were older and she had become concerned about grade point averages, credit hours, college entrance requirements and the like. Mary had younger children and she was cherishing the time that she had to share and instruct her children in the art of sitting at Jesus’ feet. (Luke 10:39) Luke 10:41, “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things.’” (NAS) Matthew 6:25, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (NAS) On the road again… Martha’s children were enrolled in many extra-curricular activities and this kept the family on the road a lot. Many days went by where they just didn’t have time for devotions. The hassel of lessons and time constraints pressed her down muchly. Mary limited errands and extra-curricular activities to one day a week. She would often look longingly at the various activities offered. Tempted as she was, she would quietly shake her head and kept her darlings home. She knew the one thing that is needed, that good part. The part of eternal worth that would not be take away. (Luke 10:42, Luke 8:35) Who Are You? Oh Darling friend, which mom do you more closely resemble? I can honestly tell you I have a helping of Mary, but sadly a larger dose of Martha. I find my van traveling up and down Savannah Highway far too much. As the weather turns cooler and outdoor activities become more limited, I look forward to more time at home with my children. I want to provide more time for my family to sit at the feet of Jesus. Presentation is So Important! In the same vein of thinking, I also want to take great care in how I present Jesus to my children. Too many outward trappings, too many bells and whistles will prevent me from presenting Jesus’ word at all. I will get so busy in the preparations that I will never get around to the one thing that is needed, that good part - Jesus. So back on the shelf goes the elaborate Bible curriculum, my list of to-dos is left on the computer, my telephone is answered by my servant - the answering machine. All of those things are good and will need attention, but right now my children need attention. They need time at Jesus’ feet. In His Time, All things… I can rest in this: Jesus is the Redeemer of my time. Every one of the tasks that are according to His will, He will provide time for. If I allow Him to plan my day; if I take the necessary time with Him; all the other things will fall into their rightful place. Won’t you trust your day to Jesus? So how about it, Mary? Will you bring your precious children to Him and settle at His feet? This is the one thing that is needed and will not be taken away. Come on mom… this is of eternal value! Everything that Martha was doing did need to be done, but the mundane daily tasks can become a master. They must be kept in their proper place. Time with Jesus is the very meat and drink for our souls. A moment with Jesus can make an eternal difference in the rest of our day. All the worldly tasks and accord will never amount to more than a pile of stubble compared to that time spent with Him! Don’t let the worries of this world rob you and your children of your most important need, Jesus! This article is copyrighted by Mary E. Woodis. If you would like to print this article in whole or part in your publication you need to contact Jessie and Mary Woodis at jessiew@hiwaay.net for permission and more details. Page last updated October 2002 Back to top