ONE THING

“One thing” What is the one thing that drives your life?

For many of us, there are things that push us from behind, for example, the past – being stuck in the disadvantages and disabilities of our past which paralyse us and rob us of any progress towards our goal – or pull us from the front – the future with its unfulfilled hopes and dreams.

For others, the driving force is, for example, money, fame, education, success, achievements, or even family, etc. We work hard to fulfil our desires. We sometimes neglect the best to achieve what we think will satisfy us. Sadly, although these “many things” may satisfy us for a while, they are all temporal and transient, destined to vanish when we leave this earth.

Three people in the Bible abandoned the “many things” for “one thing”, giving their attention to their eternal future.

David’s passion was to enjoy the Lord’s presence and to gaze at His glory.

“The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.”
Psalms 27:4 NLT

Is not this “gazing”, contemplating the Lord’s glory the very thing we are to give ourselves to that transforms our lives into that same glory?

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Mary disregarded the protocol that disallowed her presence among men when Jesus was teaching His disciples in her home. She sat at His feet, mesmerised by His words, even ignoring her place in the kitchen where Martha was preparing the meal.

Instead of rebuking her for unacceptable behaviour, Jesus commended her for “one thing”.

“Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:39-42 NLT

Mary chose the “one thing” that would change her life forever. She listened to Jesus.

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
John 14:21 NLT

Paul, in prison once again for preaching Jesus in a hostile world, affirmed his commitment to “one thing”. Having once been at the pinnacle of his religious career as a Pharisees, he abandoned everything he had achieved… birth, upbringing, training, and religious fervour, for the ultimate prize that beckoned him heavenward.

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

What was the prize that tantalised and honed all Paul’s ambitions into “one thing”?

… “that perfection for which Christ first possessed me”.

When we contemplate the one thing that these three people had in common, it becomes clear that they…

1. Answered the divine call.

“My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Psalms 27:8 NLT

“Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught…. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:39, 42 NLT

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Philippians 3:14 NLT

2. Longed for perfection

David, by gazing…
Mary, by listening…
Paul, by persevering…

3. Chose the “one thing”

They made the deliberate choice to pursue one thing above everything else in life, regardless of the many things that took their attention. In the “all things”, they focused on one thing and made everything they did serve that “one thing”.

Everything that Jesus did as a man on earth was to serve His “one thing”, the cross, that the cross would achieve the Father’s purpose.

“In bringing many sons… to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.”
Hebrews 2:10 NIV

What is the one thing that commands my attention above all else? Is it an earthly and material consideration or is it that heavenly perfection which Jesus paid for with His life to achieve?

God’s passion and purpose is a forever family of “sons” who are mirror images of Jesus. To achieve His purpose, He sets us the task of cooperating with Him, through the Holy Spirit, to reach His goal.

“… Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

“… Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.”
Philippians 2:12-13 NIV

Everything else in life falls into place when we set our sights on this “one thing”.