Whenever your life is filled with care and trouble, you can be sure you have been neglecting the most needful part of your life. And the most needful part is not the serving part - the most needful part is the Word part.
The Needful Part
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to hear and receive the Word of God. The Bible says man shall not live by bread alone. It says you need something more than bread to exist. What more do you need? "Every Word of God" (Luke 4:4). That's the needful part.
We must understand spiritual priorities. As a pastor, I often see Christians who have gotten in the Word of God and because of the Word, they're propelled into wanting to serve God. They've spent time in the Word of God, and the Word has created in them a desire to serve in some area of ministry.
But all too often, after they've been in some area of service - choir or ushering or teaching a Bible class or some other ministry in their church - for a while, their service for God becomes more important to them than their time spent in God's Word.
And then typically, when they stop sitting at the feet of Jesus and eating the Word of God, their service becomes filled with murmuring and complaining.
In It For The Wrong Reasons
Their servanthood is not as graced, not as anointed, not as cheerful as it was when they were spending more time in the Word. Their ministry becomes a burden, and they do things at the church out of obligation and without a revelation.
Because they haven't been sitting at the feet of Jesus and developing deep roots in His Word, their servanthood is filled with care and trouble and they no longer have peace about serving.
Now they're upset about how things are done in the ministry of the church, and before you know it, the devil can run them clear away from the fellowship because they get angry at someone else in the church who won't help them serve.
Getting Your Priorities Right
But when you're spending time in God's Word, and the time comes to do something at the church, you're not going to complain about it—even if you're the only person who shows up. You won't complain, because you have been doing the most needful part - sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing His Word.
You count it a double pleasure to be there by yourself to perform your service for the Lord, because you got your spiritual priorities right by putting the Word before your service.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers