"One Thing Needed? Yes, One Thing!"
July 18, 2016
But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42
What's going on in your life today? Do you have pressing matters this morning -- so important that they are dominating your thoughts, your actions, your preparations? What if I told you that they are not as important as you think? You'd probably say I am crazy. But hear me out. It's not that what you are doing is unimportant; it's just that it is not the most important thing you need to think about today. There is one thing in life that makes all of our lives worth living. If you know that one thing, you actually have the power, the perspective, and the purposeful perseverance to deal with -- even attack -- whatever it is you face today with gusto. If you don't know the one thing, even today's successes will become nothing in the end.
Today, Jesus says that one thing is knowing, trusting and following Him in all things: the number-one priority.
Let me illustrate. In my position as the Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, I travel a lot and I speak to people all around the country. I do love meeting God's people from coast to coast, even around the world. But, I must admit, that there are times when I get weary of the travel, weary of waking up in another hotel room, or even eating at another restaurant. So, there's one thing (besides doing my devotions and prayers) that I try to do when I'm traveling that helps me stay focused and alert and refreshed.
Do you know what it is? Yes, you guessed it: call home, talk with Yvette, my wife. Just hearing her voice and sharing my day, or listening about her day, it snaps me back. We laugh, sometimes we cry, but in all things we encourage one another. And when my daughter was home, Yvette would pass her the phone and then I'd hear the words, "I love you, Daddy!" Wow! What else do you need to get ready for the next day, right? That phone call -- calling home on a regular basis -- made all the difference.
Well, Jesus is telling us there's something even more precious than that. There are times when even a phone call home won't be enough. That's why He tells Martha, He tells Mary, He tells you and me that He is the key to all that you are and do. Period.
Priority one, call upon Him!
So, as you go about your tasks this week, take time to call on Him, in Bible reading, in prayer. Also, think about the ways that knowing Jesus Christ by faith, knowing Him through His Word, think how that might impact everything you are, say and do. For when you begin to realize that the one thing needed is the one thing you have: a relationship with the God who created you, who redeemed you, and who loves you. It makes life worth living no matter the challenges, people worth loving no matter the struggles, work worth doing no matter the obstacles, and even leisure worth taking because God is in control of all things.
It's not that what Martha was doing was unimportant. No, it was that what she was doing was clouding her ability to see what God was doing for her in Jesus Christ and preventing her from seeing the joy of life in the midst of it all. That's what only Jesus can provide, and that's what He stands ready to give to you -- no matter what you face today.
THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, give us clarity of thinking to see that the things of this life, no matter how valuable they might seem, they are nothing compared to knowing and believing in You by grace through faith. Amen!
