June is a busy month for our church. After years of burning the candles on both ends, some university students will celebrate their academic achievements. Parents will travel from afar to be here in Seattle for their children’s commencement exercises. Children will be out of school and parents will be busy with summer activities to keep their little ones occupied. The summer games (iGames) will commence later this month. Last, but not least, we have Father’s Day celebration thrown in the mix.

With the flurry of activities around us, it is so easy to get distracted. Distractions can get our attention off the important stuff, leaving us pursuing matters that are of lesser significance from heaven’s perspective. The path of staying focused must go through the doorway of reexamination of priorities. “Put first things first,” wrote Stephen Covey in his bestseller, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Our first things should be to focus on God and things pertaining to His kingdom priorities. Are our priorities the same as heaven’s agenda? If not, we should stop what we are doing, repent and do the first works (Rev 2:5). Doing the first works mean that we continue serving Him not out of obligation but out of love. We have to examine our hearts to see if we still have our first love for Him (Rev. 2:4). Are we as passionate as the first time we receive Him into our hearts as our Savior and Lord? If not, we definitely need to take steps to recover that passion again.

The classic story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 illustrates how busyness and distractions can get us off focus from the essential. In that story, Martha had the chance to host the Son God in her home. She had a unique opportunity create a special memory that she could have cherished in her heart for the rest of her days. This should have been a blessed moment, but in the end it became a day of stress, frustration and anger. She was caught up in the preparation of a meal – the slicing and dicing; the cooking and cleaning. She was distracted by her chores. She was so consumed with what she was expected to do that she seemed to forget WHO she was doing it for. Mary, on the other hand, recognized the significance of the moment and that it was not determined by what was served but by who was there. “The Lord showed Martha what her priority ought to be. “Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her,” said Jesus (v. 42). What Martha was doing was essential, but what Mary was doing was eternal. Likewise, we can be like Martha, busy fulfilling our obligations, meeting datelines and pursuing our goals. But our relationship with the Lord (which is eternal) must take precedence over all – relationships, career and ministries. Don’t let the essential drowned out the eternal. We must stay focused on the essential priority – seating at His feet, worshiping Him, listening to His Word and seeking to obey His Word.

May God help us to reevaluate our lives, to look at ourselves and our schedule squarely in the face, and to ask ourselves, “What really is most important in my life?” And may we readjust our lives to do as Jesus commanded, “Seek first His kingdom & His righteousness.”

Blessings,
Pastor Chris