Are You a Martha or a Mary? Rediscovering the Heart of Worship

Have you ever been so busy serving God that you forgot to actually be with God? Maybe you’re the one who’s always running around at church, organizing events, helping everywhere — yet your heart feels distant from the One you’re serving. Or perhaps you kneel to pray, but your mind drifts to tomorrow’s to-do list or that email you’ve been meaning to send.

It’s easy to slip into “Martha mode.” In Luke 10, we find Martha, who welcomed Jesus into her home but became distracted with much serving. Meanwhile, her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, hanging onto every word. When Martha complained, Jesus gently corrected her:

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

The Trap of Busyness

Martha’s mistake wasn’t that she served — service is good — but that she allowed it to distract her from what mattered most: being with Jesus. How often do we think that our doing is what pleases God, when all He wants is us?

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God.” God doesn’t need employees; He desires partners. His invitation is to walk with Him, not just work for Him. Jesus modeled this when He sent out His disciples, giving them specific instructions that revealed a deeper principle:

“Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.” (Luke 10:4)

Why such strange instructions? Because Jesus wanted them to rely on His presence, not their own resources. No distractions. No getting caught up in formalities. Just simple trust and obedience.

More Than Results

Even when the disciples returned, rejoicing that demons obeyed them, Jesus redirected their focus:

“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

It wasn’t wrong for them to be excited about their success, but Jesus reminded them that the greater miracle wasn’t what they did for God — it was what God had done for them. Too often, we let our identity get wrapped up in what we achieve for God, when the real joy is found in knowing that we belong to Him.

Sitting at His Feet

Mary understood this. She chose the “one thing” that couldn’t be taken from her — time with Jesus. Spurgeon put it beautifully:

“The way to get the revival is to begin at the Master’s feet; you must go there with Mary and afterwards you may work with Martha.”

Sitting at Jesus’ feet isn’t a passive act. It’s a declaration of trust. It means surrendering the need to perform and embracing the truth that God values your heart more than your hustle. From that place of intimacy, service becomes a natural overflow.

David knew this secret:

“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

Paul knew it too:

“One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

The Invitation

So, are you a Martha or a Mary? Are you distracted by the doing, or are you making space to know the One you’re doing it for? The truth is, God doesn’t need our service — He wants our hearts.

You can’t worship a God you don’t know. And the only way to know Him is to sit at His feet, without distraction, and listen.

Today, take a moment. Sit quietly. Let go of the distractions. And listen. That’s the good part — and it will never be taken away