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The Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all
these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned
about. Mary has discovered it and I won't take it away from her" (Luke
10:41-42 NLT).
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward
what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called m heavenward i Christ Jesus (Philippians
3:13-14 TNIV).
In the mid-life crisis cult-classic film, "City Slickers," Curly
(played by Jack Palance) turns to Mitch (played by Billy Crystal) and
asks him if he knows what the secret to life is. The dialogue that
follows goes like this:
"No, what?" Mitch stammers.
Then Curly holds up one finger and says, "This!"
"Your finger?" Mitch questions.
"One thing, just one thing." Curly emphasizes.
"That's great, but what's the one thing?" Mitch asks.
"That's for you to figure out," Curly responds.
We can look on these lines as trite, simplistic, or simply comedic
commentary. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that
something deep in our hearts resonates with the truth of this dialogue.
Somewhere down in our soul, we know we are not here by accident and
that we are not some random result of genetic matter.
Then, we remember Jesus' comments to Martha about "only one thing worth
being concerned about." We also recall the apostle Paul's
autobiographical statement, "One thing I do!"
Our souls feel the truth: each of us was made for "one thing" -- one
God-determined, God-pleasing, thing. And to find out what that "one
thing" is for us individually, we've got to sit at the feet of Jesus.
When we lose sight of what our "one thing" truly is, we distracted by
many things. We become all circumference and no center. We run from
task to task, never really understanding where our orienting center is.
We lose track of the "why" behind the "what" of each day. We don't have
a way of prioritizing and ordering our task lists and our life's goals.
We become buried under an avalanche of "to do's" and appointments
without a reason or purpose for the whole burdensome schedule.
So how do we find out that "one thing" we are supposed to do? "That's
for you to figure out," Curly said. However, Jesus tells us
differently.
So go and spend time with Mary, at the feet of Jesus!
Jesus said the "one thing necessary" was to sit at his feet and learn
from him. He also taught his closest followers to train others to do
the same, "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew
28:20).
So, as much as I'm glad you read online messages and seek after God's
truth by reading from all sorts of soures, I want to remind you that
all of it -- the devotionals, articles, and even books by your favorite
authors -- are only supplemental.
We've got to sit at the feet of Jesus. We must fill our souls with the
stories of his life and the teaching from his heart by reading the
Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We need to walk with him,
listen to his teaching, and marvel at his miracles. In coming to know
him better, we will find him gently nudging us, revealing new insights
to us, and opening doors of opportunity for us as we live out that "one
thing" God made us to do!
So let's go and spend time like Mary, at the feet of Jesus, listening
and learning and finding the "one thing" we need to do to honor God.
Let's live that "one thing" that the Father made us to be. Thank you.
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