When Jesus told Martha in Luke 10:42 that “one thing is needed,” He was being quite clear. While Mary had found peace in this “one thing” as she sat at Jesus’ feet in worship, Martha was “worried and troubled about many things,” including the good thing of serving.
Mary of Bethany, the apostle Paul, and King David in the Old Testament are examples of those who lived out the “one thing” life—seeking God above everything, even the cares and distractions of the world.
David conveyed the heart of this lifestyle when he wrote Psalm 27:4: “One thing I have desired of the Lord . . . [to] dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”
The power of this verse is the two words: one thing, because David wasn’t exaggerating. The power of this passage, its radicalness, its power and glory, is in the narrowness of what God is saying. It creates a dilemma in life when we actually try to walk this out.
In order to walk out a “one thing” life, we need to remove ourselves from the pace of our busy, distracted culture. Instead of losing ourselves in the noise of buzzing phones and blaring music, we take time to quiet our hearts and be with Jesus. Instead of running from one place to the next with no time to spare, we give ourselves to extended periods of worship and devotion.
The deep things of the kingdom rarely come on the fly; rather, they are the fruit of pursuing the one thing we truly can’t live without—the intimate knowledge of God!
Fortunately, the Lord wants to give us this greatest gift. He’s waiting for us to seek Him, to ask Him for “the better part,” and to become spiritually violent enough that we throw off the constraints of the culture to draw near to Him (Mt. 11:12).
The Lord rewards those who seek Him, and He will reward you for your pursuit as He did David, Paul, Mary of Bethany, and the saints throughout history (Heb. 11:6).
Even if the world (and sometimes the Church) persecutes you, Jesus will stand up for you! He will defend those that desire, know, and worship Him (Jn. 12:7–8).
Many men and women in Scripture who pursued the Lord in extravagant ways faced persecution and rejection from men, but Jesus was their defender and reward (Phil. 3:8).
Our God is calling a generation to pursue Him as their one thing—to seek nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else but the fullness of His kingdom and will “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).
Are you one of them? Is your heart burning to be wholly devoted to Christ? Do you desire more revelation of your King so that you can make Him known to others?
