Sat.’s Devo - Choose the Best

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17
When they got to their land in Canaan, they were to bring to the Lord the first fruits of all their harvests. They were to bring it in a basket to the priest who would set it before the Lord and bless it. In the time of Christ, a young boy brought his lunch in a basket and gave it to the disciples. Jesus blessed it and gave it to all the people. It was the time of first fruits when he did this.
Every third year they were to bring a special offering just for the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
When they crossed the Jordan, each tribe was to set up a stone and they would coat them with plaster. They were to set them up on Mt. Ebal and write the commandments on them. The tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were to stand on Mt. Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people for all who obeyed God’s law. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mt. Ebal to proclaim a curse to those who disobeyed God’s law. The Levites stood and shouted to all of Israel the curses.
In Luke, we read the story about Mary and Martha. Martha is the detail worker and Mary is the lover of presence. Martha stands for the law which has to do with works. There will always be works to be done. Mary is the picture of grace. She hungers for the truth in rest. She just enjoys God’s presence. Jesus said that she had chosen the best.
It is true that we have “work” to do, but we do everything with the presence of God with us. We seek him first, then he lets us see what work is profitable and what is not. Everything we do should be done out of presence first.
Jesus gave us a parable about prayer. The essence of the parable is that when we have a daily need, we go to Jesus as our friend. We keep praying till we see the manifestation of our prayer. We don’t give up because our faithful provider will meet our need.
Lord, help us to chose the better and spend time in your presence, knowing that you will meet all our needs according to your riches in glory.