Make Time for What Matters at Christmas
By Rick Warren

“‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)

This Christmas, you need to do less, not more. By simplifying your life, you’ll have more enjoyment, more fulfillment, and less stress. 

At one of the busiest times of the year, you need to make sure you’re filling your calendar, your mind, and your heart with what’s important, not trivial things that won’t even matter in five years, much less for eternity. 

The trivial things I’m talking about are not evil things. You can fill your life with good things that keep you from spending time with God. You can be involved in ministry all the time and be so busy working for God that you don’t leave God any time to work in you.

An example of this is Mary and Martha, who were sisters and also friends of Jesus. One day they invited him to their home for a meal. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. Martha was busy worrying about the food and making sure everything was in place. 

Doesn’t that sound like Christmas? You spend months buying and wrapping gifts, decorating the house, putting up the lights, fixing the tree, sending out the cards, preparing the meals, planning parties. Then, when Christmas arrives, you realize you were so busy with the preparation that you didn’t make any time for Jesus.

“Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’  ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:40-42 NIV).

Mary knew there was one thing worth her time: getting to know the Son of God. 

Nothing else will matter in eternity. God didn’t put you on Earth just to work and then retire. He put you here so you can get to know him.  

My wish for you this Christmas is that you would stop, take a breath, and shift your focus to the one thing that matters most in this life: Jesus.

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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