One Thing

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.

Psalm 27:4

I had several ideas swirling around in my mind the past few days about what to write. I always pray for God’s guidance to what needs to be heard that week even if it is for just one person. As the ideas were taking shape in my mind, one idea was central: I need…

How would you finish that sentence? Or we can reword it. I would be happy if __________ (fill in the blank).

Although this will be published the day after elections, I am writing it before. I can imagine that some of you might fill in that blank with something connected to the elections or other current events such as:

· I would be happy if so-and-so wins the presidency.

· I would be happy if COVID and all that goes with it was done.

· I would be happy if there wasn’t so much division in our country.

· I need things to return to “normal.”

Perhaps your fill-in-the-blank would be more personal:

· I need a job. I need to support my family.

· I need answers to health issues.

· I need my spouse to change.

· I need my kids to be ok.

· I need a friend. I’m lonely.

· I need a place to belong.

· I need this grief to pass.

· I need the past to loosen its hold on me.

· I need to be free from this addiction.

· I need this anxiety and fear to go away.

· I need the darkness of depression to lift.

· I’d be happy if people would stop making me angry.

· I’d be happy if I got a raise or promotion.

· I’d be happy if I could lose weight.

· I need more time for myself.

· I need to get good grades or get into a certain school.

This list could go on and on. Many of the things we might list aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves. They may even be good. But what priority are we putting on them? How does it shape our thinking and heart?

I’m going to give you an example that you might think is silly, but this type of thinking matters. When I worked full-time, I would always have hot chocolate mid-morning at work. (My great-nieces will tell you that now I especially love my hot chocolate with a candy cane or peppermint in it, and that is true.) It got to the point where I would tell people to expect grouchiness if I didn’t have my hot chocolate by ten am. I needed my hot chocolate.

Pause. Stop right there. Some of you may see something wrong with those statements. I hope so. First, to blame our sin choices on anything or anyone else is wrong. Blame shifting has been going on since Adam and Eve, but it has never been acceptable to God. Yes, there may be circumstances or people that make it more tempting to sin like when I stay up too late and am tired the next day, but lack of sleep, lack of hot chocolate or any other thing is never an excuse for me to sin (grouchiness or in Biblical terms not loving my neighbor disguised in somewhat cute, green, fuzzy Oscar the Grouch language).

Second, the bottom line is that there is only one thing I need: Jesus. We tend to think of Jesus and the message of the Gospel as something we need for salvation only. After salvation, it is Jesus and __________, and often we don’t even put Jesus first in the sentence.

When I made my statement about “give me hot chocolate or you get grouchy Tara”, I was partly joking. I say partly because there was a seriousness to it as well. I wanted my hot chocolate, and I did sometimes choose grouchiness when I didn’t get my hot chocolate on time. After all, I warned everyone.

Again, you may be thinking this is silly and how can that possibly compare with needing a job to put food on the table? It matters because we are training our hearts and minds to depend on something other than God to provide for us, give us security, make us happy or satisfy us. Being able to feed our family is a good thing. It is actually a Biblical thing, but it is the priority and perspective we place on it that is wrong. In the case of providing for our family, Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” God is our ultimate provider. Every good thing is His, and He delights to give us good things. He knows our needs perfectly. We look to our Father for the provision not the job. Now that doesn’t mean you don’t look for a job, but your focus is trusting your loving Father who provides.

Many of you are probably familiar with the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. I’m definitely a Martha. I would’ve been just as busy trying to make everything perfect for Jesus’ visit. Meanwhile, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet. Martha complains and wants Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Now Jesus doesn’t say that Martha’s busyness in serving was bad and should never be done. He says, “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” (emphasis added). Martha was so fixated on serving Jesus, fixing a meal, and being a good hostess that she was forgetting Jesus Himself. Jesus is the ONE thing, the only thing, we truly need.

In Philippians 3:7-11, Paul lists all the earthly gain he had, then he declares that it is all loss. He counts it rubbish compared to knowing Christ Jesus His Lord. He is willing to suffer the loss of all things in order to be found in Christ. Later in chapter 4 he affirms that he can be content in any situation, he can do all things through Jesus who strengthens him. Paul does not have a “I’d be happy if _________” List. He has Jesus. End of list.

I think we should regularly praise God for and remember His attributes or characteristics because they put everything else in focus, in the right perspective. Let’s apply that to the lists we had in the beginning to see how it changes the needs although this is not exhaustive.

There is a song by Christy Nockels called “If You Never”. The chorus further puts things in perspective of the ONE thing we need.

If You never did another thing for me, It will always be enough that You set me free Always be enough that You gave Your life Jesus You are mine

We have Jesus! Let that sink in. We have Jesus! We have His Spirit indwelling us. By His atonement on the cross, we are forgiven and given His perfect record of righteousness. We’ve been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus. We are God’s children. We are co-heirs with Christ. We have been granted eternal life. This list could go on and on too, and it is a much, MUCH better list to meditate on.