Choosing the better part

Hi Everyone,
Sorry it has been a while since I've posted. I was waiting for results from tests and have been swamped with schoolwork. The great news is that all the biopsies came back negative for malignancy. Hallelujah! Drs. Berkowitz and Berlin also decided to discontinue the lovenox shots! So, now the surgeon can proceed with the hernia surgery. His office still has not contacted me so I will probably contact them tomorrow. I don't have results back from the CT scan or the latest blood work but when I get that I will post here. I do have a lot of energy for most of the day, which is also such a blessing. I also got some blood tests done to see how effective the supplements have been to reduce the growth factors in my blood. Apparently, one GF has gone way down, but others have stayed the same. Please pray for wisdom for this doctor and for us about how to proceed with this.

One morning when I was spending some time with the Lord, I found it hard to keep my mind from racing to all the things that I needed to take care of. My mind was like Martha in Luke - busily doing so much but not taking the time to sit at Jesus' feet, like Mary, her sister, did. Here are the verses from Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as they went, He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her home.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet and was listening to His word.

40 But Martha was being drawn about with much serving, and she came up to Him and said, Lord, does it not matter to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to do her part with me.

41 But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things;

42 But there is need of one thing, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The foot note for good in verse 42 says:
"The Lord prefers that His saved ones who love Him listen to Him (v. 39) that they may know His desire, rather than do things for Him without knowing His will (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Eccl. 5:1).

It is quite significant that this story of Martha and Mary immediately follows the parable of the good Samaritan. The parable shows the compassion and love of the Savior, who is a man and becomes the sinners' neighbor; the story of Martha and Mary unveils the desire and preference of the Lord, who is God and becomes the believers' Master. The Savior gives us His compassion and love so that we can be saved by Him; the Lord expresses His desire and preference so that we can serve Him. After receiving salvation from the Savior, we should render service to the Lord. For our salvation we need to realize the Savior's compassion and love; for our service we need to know the Lord's desire and preference."

So each morning I thank the Lord for another day! I think I used to take the days for granted or even moan when a new day began because I had so much to do. Now I am so thankful for each day - and I pray "Lord have the first place. May You accomplish in this day through me what You desire and what You have purposed." Like the footnote says, the Lord has a desire and preference - and I realize so do we. Each day, we desire to get stuff done. We have our preference. We run around like Martha. But the Lord said clearly - that Mary had chosen the good part. Sitting at Jesus' feet, spending time with Him to enter into what HE is doing each day is what He desires. I also feel like we might have the desire to wait in the Lord in our spirit, but our mind is racing sometimes to all the anxieties of the day. How good that we can set our mind on the things above, we can set our mind on our spirit.

Here are two verses about setting our mind:

Romans 8:6
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.


Colossians 3:2
2 Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.


It is so wonderful that we can set our mind on the things above! How wonderful that we can spend our busy days with our spirit at Jesus' feet!

I may have posted this hymn before but in the first verse it talks about joyfully choosing the better part - like Mary.

1 Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
Is not thine a captured heart?
Chief among ten thousand own Him;
Joyful choose the better part.

Captivated by His beauty,
Worthy tribute haste to bring;
Let His peerless worth constrain thee,
Crown Him now unrivaled King.

2 Idols once they won thee, charmed thee,
Lovely things of time and sense;
Gilded thus does sin disarm thee,
Honeyed lest thou turn thee thence.

3 What has stripped the seeming beauty
From the idols of the earth?
Not a sense of right or duty,
But the sight of peerless worth.

4 Not the crushing of those idols,
With its bitter void and smart;
But the beaming of His beauty,
The unveiling of His heart.

5 Who extinguishes their taper
Till they hail the rising sun?
Who discards the garb of winter
Till the summer has begun?

6 'Tis that look that melted Peter,
'Tis that face that Stephen saw,
'Tis that heart that wept with Mary,
Can alone from idols draw:

7 Draw and win and fill completely,
Till the cup o'erflow the brim;
What have we to do with idols
Who have companied with Him?


Lord, keep us companying with You moment by moment that we may be filled with You so we can minister You to others. Strengthen us into our inner man that we would we choose the better part day by day.

Much love dear ones,
Joanne