The One Thing

As Christian women, daughters, mothers, grandmothers, or whatever title you may have, we all know the struggle we face, each and every day, to make time to spend alone with the Lord. We all battle with feeling pressured, rushed and anxious. Never having enough time. Not enough hours in the day. We’ve all said it and we’ve all felt it.

William Penn once said, “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”

We can become plagued with guilt over not having enough time to spend on our families, on our careers, on our hobbies, on our husbands. But what about not having enough time to spend on quality time alone with God?

Can we ever really say, “I don’t have enough time?”

Who decided how many hours in the day we needed? God. Who directs the sun and the moon and their rising and settings? God.

So, who are we to say we don’t have enough time? We know that it is a matter of choice and it’s a matter of priorities and what or who it is we put first on our list. We make time for what we love. 

We all know who it should be and what it should be. God is to be our highest priority. God must be our first love. He must be at the top. He must be the one we run to before anyone else. God is to be the foundation we build all other relationships on.

In our all too busy lives, we often neglect our relationship with the Lord. It gets put on the back burner. Yes, we’ve been redeemed, and we trust the Lord to supply our needs and protect our families. We give thanks for our food, we go to church, but how much time do we really give to God each day? How much time do we spend in prayer, in study, in reading His Word? In taking time out each day to spend with Him? Quietly meditating on His Word, listening for His voice, pouring out our hearts to Him?

For any relationship to flourish, we must spend time on it. We have to spend time talking with the person, getting to know them. If we want a closer relationship with God, we must spend time talking to Him in prayer, learning about His character thru the word of God, listening, waiting, obeying, loving, learning.

One passage in the Bible that I’ve read over many times is that of Mary and Martha. I have always felt like I could relate to them. Both of them. Mary’s heart and Martha’s hands. Yes, for most of my Christian life, I was more of a Martha than a Mary, but I’ve come to realise that both are needed. But, although they are both needed, there is ‘one thing’ that is needful, more than any other.

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

In this passage we see the ‘one thing’. What is the ‘one thing’ you must do today? What is the one thing that is needed?

As mothers and wives, we are pulled in every direction. We have huge to-do lists. And the things on our lists are often very important, but the one thing I need to do today, the most urgent thing on my list, is to keep my relationship with God a priority. To sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word.

That one thing we need to do today and every day, is to pray and read the Word of God.  We can’t physically sit at Jesus feet, as Mary was able to do, but we have His word and we have prayer.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The Bible tells us in Matthew that we are to seek God first. First. Before our to-do list takes over. In order to develop a closer relationship with the Lord, He must be the one we go to first. And not only first, but regularly.

I love the verses in the Bible that encourage us to come to him often.

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Even the Lord Jesus rose early to talk to the Father

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

In the morning.

Psalms 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.

At midnight.

I often find that the wakeful times I experience in the middle of the night are some of my most profitable prayer times. There is nothing to distract me from communing with the Lord. Like the saying goes, “When you can’t sleep, don’t count sheep, talk to the Shepherd”

But, getting back to Mary and Martha.

Martha often gets a bad rap, but she was very hospitable. Jesus didn’t usually come alone- she had to serve the disciples as well. She was a hospitable host. Running back and forth serving. But cumbered. In verse 40, we read that Martha was ‘cumbered’

But Martha was cumbered about much serving

In the Greek, this word cumbered has the idea to “to drag all around” or “to distract”. She was dragged down with much serving. MUCH serving. Would less have been more? Could she have done more with less?

Often, ladies, we are dragged down with much serving. Running back and forth, in and out, over and under and so it goes. We are run ragged.

But where do we see Mary?  Mary is sitting at Jesus feet. It says that she “also” sat and heard His Word. So, others were sitting at His feet too. Why wasn’t Martha? Mary had chosen that ‘one thing’ that was needed, sitting at Jesus feet. Putting God first.                                                                

I have come to recognize that we need a balance of both Mary and Martha. Both are needed. There are times that we must be hospitable and serve others. We read of the Prov 31 woman and her servant’s spirit,

Proverbs 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

and we know that God looks on her with favour, but we also read that a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised. And that fear has to do with reverence.

Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Martha’s hands and Mary’s heart. Necessary in a women’s life. But the order is what’s important.  We must first sit at Jesus feet, and then rise to serve Him.

“We please Jesus most when we first sit at His feet and then stand to serve Him.”

Sitting, then standing. Priorities and progress.

My dad always used to tell our family, “Don't tune your instrument after the concert is over”. I never forgot that little saying. He was reminding us to make sure that we spent time with the Lord each and every morning, because we needed God's guidance for the day. It was too late at the end of the day. That's not to say that we shouldn't end our day with the Lord, but we need to make sure we start it with Him.  We need God to order our day from the very beginning and give us the strength we need at the start of the day, before the concert begins. Our day, being the concert, and we, the instrument. Our day goes so much better when we spend some time with the Lord first of all. Even before we get out of bed.

The one thing we must do, is to put God first. Then everything else will fall into place. That doesn’t mean your day will be perfect. God orders our days differently to how we order them.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Starting our day out with him, puts God first.

God honours our time and helps us to be more productive, when we come to him first. We don’t have to control the day’s events. Hand them over to God and let him decide what’s best. Let God prioritize our lists of to-dos. Give our lists to God.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

We need to find a quiet place every morning. A sanctuary. A place to get alone with God. God’s word is so important.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.                                                                                                                              

For me, I created a prayer closet/war room, in our downstairs storeroom. There is no light and not much space on the concrete floor, and I sit on a pillow on top of a milk crate, surrounded by boxes of ‘stuff’, but it is a sanctuary, nonetheless. This is where I run to when I am in need of God’s presence and His comfort. It’s the place I go where I can cry aloud to Him. I am able to fall at His feet and worship Him.

Whatever and wherever you can find a place to make that time alone with God, do it. Create a space where you can get alone with God and bring your cares to Him. Getting into God’s Word is so important. The where is not so important to Him, but the when is.

In 2 Timothy we read about why Scripture is so important.

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That word ‘inspiration’ literally means, God breathed. So, when we read God’s Word, it’s like getting a breath of fresh air from God. God breathes His life into us. I love that thought. God breathing His life into us when we feel like our energy, our drive, our get up and go has got up and gone. Receiving that breath of fresh air daily is just what we need.

We need to refuel from God’s Word. When we’re running on empty, how long has it been since we really got into the Word? It’s not enough to just get God’s Word from the Pastor on a Sunday. We need to top up. To refuel throughout the week.

Finding that sanctuary, that alone time with God, that place of quiet, is often difficult as busy women in this crazy, rushed world we live in. But, we shouldn’t dwell on our past failures, but press toward the mark, the goal, and start afresh. Every day is a new day. A new opportunity to start again.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

We pour our hearts into our families, and that's a good thing, but is it the best thing? Whatever it is that we pour our hearts into, whatever occupies our thoughts or becomes a priority in our lives over that of loving God, is something we are putting above God and it is unfaithfulness and sin.

Putting our husbands above God or our children above God or our clean house or our careers above God, will always lead to disappointment.

God says in Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

 And in Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

God has set the order for our priorities. God first. Everything else afterwards.

When our relationship with God breaks down, our relationships with people, break down.

The one thing we need is God’s Word, and the one person we need to put first, is God.

Our relationship with the Lord is of great importance. God is the foundation we build our lives upon. It needs to be a strong foundation. Developing a closer relationship with Him should be our utmost priority.

And so, I want to encourage you to make God your priority. Make your relationship with Him the most important thing. Everything else will crumble around you if you don’t take the time to work on this relationship. The Word of God is your life manual. And don’t neglect prayer. Prayer and the reading of God’s Word go hand in hand.

Reach for that ‘one thing’ that is needful today. For just a little while, somewhere in your day, forget about the many things and work on that one thing. Put your cares aside and spend time alone with the only one who knows all your troubles and can carry all your burdens.

If you would like to read more on the subject of finding that quiet place for your quiet time, please see our family blog and the article on Quiet Time.

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