When Jesus taught in Martha’s home, an opportunity arose for Him to teach about the importance of making His teachings a priority in our lives. This lesson can help you learn to identify choices and activities that will help you make Jesus Christ and His gospel the center of your life.
Student preparation: Invite students to make a list of activities they did in a single day prior to this lesson and to bring their list to class.
Possible Learning Activities
Priorities
Consider bringing to class a container and rocks of various sizes. Make sure to bring more rocks than can fit in the container. Invite a student to try to place as many rocks as possible in the container. Ask the following question: “If these rocks represent possible activities we can do in a day, how might this object lesson compare to our lives?”
Each day we make many decisions about how to use our time.
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:
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President Dallin H. Oaks
Most of us have more things expected of us than we can possibly do. … We face many choices on what we will do with our time and other resources.
(Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 104)
If students completed the suggested preparation activity, invite them to look at the list they created.
Think about which of the following statements describe you (you can choose more than one).
I create time for both spiritual and temporal activities.
I want to follow the Savior but often feel too busy with other tasks.
My life is centered on Jesus Christ.
I am not interested in making time to come closer to Jesus Christ.
During this lesson, you will learn about a scripture account that teaches the importance of placing Jesus Christ at the center of our lives. Pay attention to promptings from the Holy Ghost that can help you understand how to make Jesus Christ your highest priority.
The Savior teaches Mary and Martha
When the Savior traveled to Bethany, He visited the home of a woman named Martha, a faithful and devoted disciple.
Read Luke 10:38–42, paying attention to what you learn from the Savior’s example and words. It may be helpful to know that the word cumbered means worried or burdened.
What does this account teach you about Jesus Christ and His desires for us?
In what way was Mary’s choice appropriate for this situation?
One truth we can learn from this account is that choices that bring us closer to Jesus Christ should be given the highest priority in our lives.
Why do you think Heavenly Father wants us to put His Son Jesus Christ at the center of our lives?
Although Mary could have been serving others, she chose to learn from Jesus Christ, which was the most important thing she could have done at that time (see Luke 10:42).
President Dallin H. Oaks explained how we all face similar choices:
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President Dallin H. Oaks
Just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.
(Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 104)
Consider creating a two-column table on the board with the titles Less Important and More Important.Then write students’ answers to the following questions under the appropriate column.
What are some of the less important things in your life that could distract you from Jesus Christ?
What are some choices you can make that will bring you closer to Jesus Christ?
What can help you make the most important choices your highest priority?
If the rock activity was used in the lesson, students could be invited to write on the rocks some of the activities listed on the board. They could write activities that bring them closer to Jesus Christ on the largest rocks and less important activities on medium or small rocks. Students could then practice placing the larger rocks in the container first, continuing with the smaller rocks until the container has no more space.
What blessings have you experienced by making efforts to center your life on Jesus Christ?
Make a plan
If some students have already created a list of their daily activities in preparation for class, adapt these instructions accordingly.
Make a list of your typical daily activities, and determine which activities are helping you come closer to the Savior. Think about anything you might add or remove based on what you learned and felt today. Make a specific plan for what you will do to more fully center your life on the Savior.
Consider inviting volunteers to share their plan. Look for ways to compliment students on things they have done to focus on the Savior. Share testimony about the blessings that come from centering our lives on the Savior.
Commentary and Background Information
How does Satan try to keep us from using our time wisely?
President Steven W. Owen, former Young Men General President, stated:
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Brother Stephen W. Owen
The adversary will try to persuade you that spiritual nourishment isn’t necessary or, more cunningly, that it can wait. He is the master of distraction and author of procrastination. He will bring things to your attention that seem urgent but in reality aren’t that important. He would have you become so “troubled about many things” that you neglect the “one thing [that] is needful” [Luke 10:41–42].
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:
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Elder Richard G. Scott
Are there so many fascinating, exciting things to do or so many challenges pressing down upon you that it is hard to keep focused on that which is essential? When things of the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority. Then it is easy to forget the fundamental purpose of life. Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction. He would have good people fill life with “good things” so there is no room for the essential ones. Have you unconsciously been caught in that trap?
What are some dangers of judging another’s choices?
President Bonnie D. Parkin, former General Relief Society President, stated:
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Bonnie D. Parkin
Within Martha’s request for assistance was an unspoken but clear judgment: “I am right; she is wrong.”
Do we judge one another? Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better, when in fact we rarely understand another’s unique circumstance or individual inspiration? … Such judgments … rob us of the good part, that pure love of Christ.
We also lose sight of that good part when we compare ourselves to others. Her hair is cuter, my legs are fatter, her children are more talented, or her garden’s more productive—sisters, you know the drill. We just can’t do that. We cannot allow ourselves to feel inadequate by focusing on who we aren’t instead of on who we are!
How can I choose between two choices that are not inherently bad?
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency stated:
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President Dallin H. Oaks
As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. …
Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best. …
… We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.
(Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 104–5, 107)
Supplemental Learning Activity
Finding fault in others’ choices
The Savior corrected Martha when she found fault in Mary’s actions. Consider helping students understand that we should not impose on others our own perceptions of following the Lord (see the “What are some dangers of judging another’s choices?” in the “Commentary and Background Information” section).
This activity could be introduced by asking one of the following questions: Have you ever been criticized because of a choice you made? Is it possible for two people to choose different activities that are both acceptable to the Lord?