The one thing
But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42
“The one thing” is a book by Gary Keller about productivity that focuses on “one thing at a time”, such as prioritizing, mastering a single task rather than multitasking, etc. There are many things we must do every day, such as going to work, paying the bills, or things we want to do. For example, scrolling social media or hobbies. We have to make choices about what we do with our time and energy. Our schedules can be a tangle of things we must and want to do, and they can seem overwhelming and cluttered.
In today's key verse, Jesus tells us that "the one thing" we need to do is to sit at His feet, listen to His voice, and be still like Mary. Our physical bodies need food, water, and sleep, so the same as our spiritual bodies, we need to spend time with God, read His Word, and be with Him.
When we spend our time with God, we can imagine that God invites us to His banquet table, the dining table is full of spiritual food, everything we need is available at the table, His love, peace, wisdom, joy, truth, comfort, and so on. But most importantly, we are dining with our King, so God wants us to enjoy His presence and eat as much as we like. He is the only one who can meet all our needs and wants us to leave the table with a sense of deep satisfaction.
In this one thing wisdom, Jesus shared it with Martha, because we tend to be distracted by “many things” and lose sight of the “one thing”. Our mental and physical energies are spent dwelling on things that will be taken away. God rewards those who seek Him, and His rewards, such as prosperous souls, peace, love and divine provision, can never be taken away.
Jesus' "the One Thing" is about a loving relationship with our king that prioritizes Him above all else. I personally find it to be the best productivity tip of all. If we prioritize our quiet time with the Lord, we will learn how to do less, make our schedule less busy so that we have more time with Him. When we hear from the Lord, He is the best guide for us as he teaches us what to do in life according to His will. Moreover, His presence can revive our energy and take away our overwhelmed feelings. This will enable us to stay focused and do what is right according to His good, pleasing and perfect will. Having the one thing we need to do is the key to living a blessed life!
Blessing prayer: You are the only thing we need, and help us to choose the good portion daily, and remain still at your feet. In Jesus ‘ Name, Amen
