For the last several years, at the beginning of the year, I pray and ask God to give me a word to focus on in the year ahead. When I feel as if He has given me a specific word, I take a little more time to ask for confirmation to be sure that I have heard from Him. This year, He gave me a two-word phrase to focus on. He gave me the words “one thing” to be my focus for this year and so, I have begun a study of them to know exactly what that means for me.
I would like to share with you what I have come to believe they stand for in my life and I hope you are encouraged to ask God for a word for your life if you have not done so. Also, feel free to incorporate the “one thing” in your own life, my friend. I would like to begin by sharing my focus verse which is found in Luke 10:42. “But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (See also: Ps. 27:4; Mark 10:21; John 9:25; Phil. 3:13; Deut. 2:24-4:14)
I have studied out the verses listed above, and I concluded that “one thing” represents the importance of priorities. Over and over again, as I read the words “one thing”, I saw how important my priorities are in the eyes of God, my Father. In the passage from Luke, we see that Jesus says one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that part, which made me ask myself, “What exactly did Mary choose”. Mary chose Jesus; she chose to sit at His feet and focus on Him. She chose to listen to His word.
Mary chose to sit down at the feet of Jesus, focus on Him, and listen to His word that day and Jesus commended her for that choice, saying she had chosen the better part. I read the transcripts of a sermon on this subject by Charles Haddon Spurgeon and I want to share with you a few of the things he said. He explained how Mary’s decision to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word, showed a readiness to believe, accept, obey, and delight in what He says. It revealed her submission to Him.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus showed her great love for her Savior. Spurgeon also said, “Sitting at the feet of Jesus indicates the childlike spirit of true discipleship; and this is the one thing needed: there is no Salvation apart from it.” A big part of discipleship is learning and the desire to learn and grow. If I want to make Him the “one thing” that I need in my life, I am going to have to learn to be more like Mary. I am going to have to deliberately choose to slow down and focus on Him.
To be a true servant, you have to learn how to pay attention to the One you serve; you have to learn to focus on Him. Like Mary, I need to focus on Him and His Word with rapt attention. I also need to remember that at times, it may mean I need to take a long hard look at my priorities and see what may need to change in order to make Him the “One thing” in my life. The more I studied, the more I considered this, I realized something important.
Making Him the “One thing” will take singlemindedness on my part. What does that mean? It means that I will have to be single-minded; I will have to have one driving purpose in my life. I will have to be resolved or determined and dedicated to making Him my “One thing”. Studying this out, I saw words like resolute, resolved, and purposeful and I realized something. Making Him the “One thing” isn’t something that is easy to do.
If it were easy, it wouldn’t require determination, dedication, and resolve to accomplish it. It won’t be easy, but this I do know… it will be worth it! In one way, I found myself encouraged by the choice of words for this year. Focusing on Him, my “One thing” is definitely a great idea. However, I must confess, a part of me wondered at the urging to make “one thing” my word for the year. Is this year going to challenge my focus? Is this year going to make keeping my priorities in the correct order a challenge?
I don’t know what lies ahead of me, but I know the One walking with me and I hope to do my absolute best to keep my priorities in the right order. I pray that He will help me to make Him the “One thing” in my life that matters most to me. I began this study in order to know how to do this and I hope that you will say a little prayer for me to be able to focus on Him like I need to in the year ahead. And for those of you who know me personally, feel free to ask me how I am doing with this from time to time!
In closing, I want to share with you a portion of each of the Scriptures I found that contained the phrase “one thing”. “But one thing is needed…” Luke 10:42. “One thing I have desired…” Psalm 27:4. “One thing you lack…” Mark 10:21. “One thing I know…” John 9:25. “One thing I do…” Philippians 3:13. My prayer for the year ahead is that I will make Him the One thing I need, the One thing I desire, and the One thing I know. I pray that the one thing I do is seek Him with all that I am.
In the days ahead, I pray that I will not be found lacking Him as the One thing that matters most in my heart and life! I pray that He will help me to truly put Him first in my heart and in every area of my life. I also pray that in the year ahead, He will help me to make knowing Him better my first priority. May I truly learn to sit at His feet and delight in what He says! May He give me the desire to single-mindedly seek to know Him, love Him, honor Him, and make Him known.
Questions I need to consider:
- What does choosing the “good part” look like in my life?
- How do I determine what things are a priority in my life?
- Are my priorities consistent with His priorities?
- Am I truly sitting at His feet and listening to Him?
- Am I only hearing the Word or am I doing what it says?
- What areas of my life are not submitted to His control?
- Do I truly believe His Word? Is that revealed in the way I live my life?
- Is He the “One thing” I need, that I desire above all else?
- Am I pursuing Him with a single-minded passion?
- Is there anything in my life that I desire more than Him; that I focus on Him more than Him?
Father, You alone are deserving of first place in my heart and life. When I think of all that You have done for me, I am overwhelmed by Your love, Your goodness. Thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You for never giving up on me. I ask You to please help me make You the one thing in my life. Help me to truly want You more than I want anything else in this world, Lord Jesus. Give me a hunger for You that far exceeds any other hunger in my life. Show me how to truly make You the one thing I focus on more than anything else. Show me how to put my priorities in the right order. Help me to make my priorities line up with Your priorities for me. And, Father, help me to not only hear Your Word but to do what it says, Lord. Teach me to sit quietly at Your feet and just soak up Your words, allowing You to speak to my heart. Teach me to better recognize Your voice. I ask You to give me the determination I need to put You in first place in my heart and life. Show me how to make pleasing You, seeking You, and glorifying You the driving purpose of my life, Lord. I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart will truly be honoring to you Lord Jesus (Psalm 19:14). Amen.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I pressed toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Katrina Douglas
1/24/2021
