'One Thing'
One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may 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.
— Psalm 27:4
David wrote, "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek . . ." (emphasis added). In other words, the one thing that really excited him was spending time in the presence of God.
Mary knew this one thing too when Jesus came to visit her and her sister Martha in the little village of Bethany. She sat down at His feet, absolutely riveted by everything He had to say.
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Martha, a diligent, hardworking woman, wanted to impress the Lord with the fine meal she was preparing. Who wouldn't, if you had a guest like Jesus? Can you imagine Jesus showing up at your house? You would want to offer Him your best, right? You wouldn't give Him a microwave dinner or last night's leftover spaghetti. You would want to prepare a special meal.
As Martha was working away in the hot kitchen, she undoubtedly kept looking for Mary. Where's Mary? I can't believe she's not in here. Finally in frustration, she came out—probably with her hands on her hips—and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42).
Mary figured out one thing, and that was the importance of sitting at Jesus' feet. What is your "one thing"? What gets you out of bed in the morning? What keeps you going, even through heartaches and trials and disappointments?
In Philippians 3:13-14, the apostle Paul said, "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 me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (NIV).
Paul said, "But one thing I do." He didn't say, "Twelve things I dabble at." In other words, Paul's life had a strong focus that helped him prioritize everything else.
