Divine Dining March 12, 2026 Devotional

LUKE 10:40 |  ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.”

Sometimes we find it hard to be direct. We are afraid to express our feelings when they are negative or critical. At those moments we have a choice. We can decide not to share and to let go of our      negativity, or we can confront someone with our upset or disappointment. Either of these choices can be the correct one, as long as we don't let our frustration build in the first instance or fail to speak the truth with love in the second.

What we should not do is to be passive-aggressive, as Martha was with Mary. She asked a third party, Jesus, to scold her sister Mary and to order her to help with the preparations. This is indirect and hurtful. In an attempt to get leverage, Martha is also criticizing Jesus for not rectifying Mary’s “laziness” without being prompted. Her “don’t you care?” is a disguised way of expressing her unhappiness with both her sister and with Him.

Are you ever passive aggressive?

Gracious God,

Help me be direct and honest. Show me the way of prudence and restraint in my critical moments.

Amen.