Keeping the Best Things First - Crosswalk the Devotional - January 16

Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Keeping the Best Things First by Katherine Britton And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best… - [Philippians 1:9-11]( How often do we resign ourselves to the "tyranny of the urgent"? If you're me, it's a daily struggle not to use that little phrase as an excuse for losing sight of the big picture. It's so much easier to take care of what's immediately in front of me instead of what should be first in my life. I'm a task-oriented Martha, so concerned with getting the job done that I forget to focus on Him first. I can tell myself that I'm doing my work "as unto the Lord" as much as I want, but I don't serve anyone when I get harried. You probably know the feeling; you tell yourself that you're cooking a wholesome dinner as a supreme act of service and love for your family - if they only appreciated how many other things you have to do besides stand over a stove! - when little Anne asks if you'll help her find a favorite CD. Something boils over, and it's not the pot on the stove. In taking care of dinner, you've forgotten to feed a godly attitude of patience and love. That's me to a fault. James makes it clear that [faith]( is constantly looking for ways to serve; like Martha, however, we can get so busy that we forget why we're doing it. I often catch myself thinking that if I'm not busy, I'm not "doing enough" for God. But then the act becomes its own end, instead of an outworking of love. Imagine Martha in the kitchen, fluttering around and looking for that special recipe to serve Jesus, while Mary just sat, soaking up His words. Martha's response to this was probably well-intentioned - that is, from a human point of view. She was serving and wanted others to serve with her! But Jesus called her bluff. "Only one thing is needed," Christ said, "and Mary has chosen what is better" ([Luke 10:42](. Better? Lord, you mean that sitting at your feet and being quiet is better than my idea of being busy serving you? That's right. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [10 Lies You’ve Been Told about Womanhood]( Bethany Baird I was totally taken off guard by Lacy’s blatant attacks on my beliefs. Apparently she had heard about my perspectives and beliefs on God’s design for women, and she was not impressed. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [7 Prophetic Words God Has for Us about the End Times]( Debbie McDaniel This world can be a dark place. Sometimes it’s hard to see light and hope in the midst of all the suffering and pain that surrounds us. Just this year, we’ve seen incredible evil take many innocent lives. We’ve seen terrorist attacks and heard rumors of war. We’ve seen hurricanes and natural disasters wreak havoc in different places around the globe. Top news headlines reveal constant struggles, pain, and brokenness that people everywhere are facing. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email]( [Email Preference Center]( | [View in Browser]( © 2020 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 500, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk.com - The Devotional. [Link](