One thing is needed

I imagine that you have many needs in your life.

I do in mine.

The needs in fact seem many.

I need food, clothes, a roof over my head. I need money to pay the bills. I need friendship. I need hope, peace, joy. I need purpose and meaning. And unless I am wrong, I am pretty sure you need these things and many other things as well.

But Jesus tells us that truly one thing is needed. (Luke 10:42) What does He mean by that? Is Jesus just sharing with us something poetic or sentimental, or is there something more significant in His words?

I truly believe Jesus is sharing with us a deep, profound and meaningful truth that will give direction, hope and fulfillment for all of our days! Let me explain. Do you remember when as a child you would dialogue with your childhood friends about finding a genie in a bottle? I am sure you remember those conversations about what your wish would be. I can clearly recall that even in our childish minds we figured out that if our first wish was for the genie to grant us an infinite number of future wishes, then we could truly get everything we ever wanted!

Now God is not a genie in a bottle! And we should never treat Him as such (though sadly many times we do). Furthermore asking God for all of our petty and pitiful wants is not what Jesus is advocating. However much like the childish wisdom of imaginary genies and wishes, Jesus is teaching us that if we have one thing, then we truly will have everything. If we in our lives understand that God Himself is our All in all, then everything else will be taken care of as well. Like the parables Jesus told about the sparrow and the lilies of the field, God will provide all that is needed for our lives. Indeed Scripture says to us that God has already provided everything we need for life and godliness.

So what is the one thing that is needed?

We need God.

We need to learn to sit at His feet. To worship Him. To adore Him. To hear, listen to and heed every word that comes from His mouth.

In so doing we will find that He has already and is even now providing everything that we need. If we have God in our hearts and lives, all else besides is taken care of.

We cannot presume on His power, nor demand His blessing. However we can simply ask, with the faith of a little child “Oh God, I need you, so please let me sit at your feet and abide in You, and will you take care of all of the other so-called needs in my life?”

Remember, there are many things that demand for your and my attention. Many urgent things. Many pressing and seemingly important or needful things. But truly only one thing is needed: abiding in Him.

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. – Jesus (John 15:9)