One Thing

Remember when Jesus visited Mary and Martha that one time (Luke 10:38-42)? It's a well-known story. Martha set about preparing for Him, and Mary sat down at His feet. Martha complained. "Tell her to help me."

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

"One thing is necessary." What a statement! In a world where we have so many "necessary things", Jesus begs to differ. All that other stuff is good, important, urgent, pressing ... all true. But "Only one thing is necessary."

Paul made a similar statement.

⁷Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, ⁹and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, ¹⁰that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; ¹¹in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:7-14).

One thing. What is that? Jesus. Mary sat at His feet. Paul counted all things as loss--as rubbish--in order to gain Christ.

Just how valuable is Christ to you? Do you find knowing Him "surpassing value"? Do you aim to lay aside everything to gain Him? Are you encumbered by many things? Or do you have one thing in mind?