One Thing Over the Many

Life can get so crazy busy as you work to juggle all that fills your schedule. At times it may feel like walking with the Lord can feel so busy too. Keeping up on your Bible reading, spending time praying with others, serving in the church, reading that book, engaging with the unbelievers in your life, caring about the nations, on and on and on it goes. Do you feel like you can’t keep all those discipleship items spinning? You feel guilty for not doing it all well enough? You’ve just simply let some of those go thinking there are just too many things required of me? Listen, only one thing truly matters. That one thing is prizing Jesus above all else and loving Him as your highest delight! To the rich young man who came asking Jesus what more he could do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded – “You lack one thing” (Mark 10:21). To frustrated Martha, bothered because her sister wasn’t helping in the kitchen, He said – “One thing is necessary” (Luke 10:42). In both cases, Jesus reduced following Him to simply loving Him more than all the other things that occupy your time, your heart, your affections. When I feel overwhelmed by the tasks filling my inbox, or when I feel insecure about those many things that I felt fell short, I need this simple encouragement – “Mark, do you love me?” To that I can whole-heartedly answer – “Yes Lord, you know I do.” Following Jesus requires everything, and sacrifice is always involved. But make no mistake, it’s also always simple – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)