Convicted

I've been receiving Bible Gateways "Women of the Bible" weekly devotional for several weeks now.  It has proved to be a good study of different women of the Bible; some well-known, and others not so much.  The devotional I got this week was for Martha, one of the sister's of Lazarus (the man Jesus raised from the dead).  This devotional in particular was very long, so I couldn't finish all of it the day I got it.  But now I see that "all things work for good" as I finished reading it today.

Last night (Wednesday) was church night.  I'm grateful to have a church that still has service on Wednesday nights, although I must admit that I don't take advantage of it as much as I used to.  I can usually find several "reasons" or "excuses" as to why I can't go to church - laundry, getting Micah ready for bed, cleaning house, and the list goes on and on.  Today I finished reading the devotional on Martha and realized why I hadn't had "time" to finish it earlier this week.

Martha, as opposed to her sister Mary, was a busy-body.  She was usually wrapped up in things of her house in order to entertain others (including Jesus).  She undermined the importance of simply sitting at Jesus' feet, as did her sister Mary.  I was highly convicted by these words:

Jesus did not tell Martha that she had neither part nor lot in Him, or that she was allowing the cares of this life to choke the seed. He recognized that she was working for Him, but reminded her that she was permitting her outward activities to hinder her spiritually. Because of wrong emphasis regarding her necessary labor, her inner communion with her Lord was being hindered. 

Those words stung my heart.  It's been a long time since I've been convicted so much.  Truly, I have let the cares of this world and the concern of pleasing others hinder my walk with God.  I'm guilty as charged.  
1 Corinthians 7:34 says it well:

...The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be hold both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

I think the word "husband" could be interchanged with "world," "guests," or "family" as well.  All too often I place pleasing or impressing others before the One who made it all possible - God himself.  It's completely true - before I got married I was much more concerned with being at God's house than I was cleaning my own house.  I'm grateful for God's conviction - to show me that God does notice when I'm not in His house - and when I put other things before Him.  There's no excuses.  God should always come first.  I need to get back to that frame of mind.