The One Thing Needful
- Joseph Carroll
- Mon, Jul 18, 2005
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During my years as a missionary in Japan , a whole army of attendants would descend on you whenever you pulled into a gas station. One would wipe your windshield, another would check your engine and water, yet another would check your tires, while the final attendant was busy with a little broom sweeping out your car. You just had to get out of their way.
On one occasion, a friend of mine was driving in Tokyo when he saw a little light blinking on his dashboard indicating that he was short of oil. When he pulled into a gas station and got out of his car, this great army descended, washing, wiping, and cleaning everything. However, when he drove out of the gas station, “blink, blink, blink.” The team had checked the water in his radiator and the air in his tires, filled his tank with gas, swept out the car, washed the windshield—but forgotten to check the oil. They had in fact done everything but that which he really needed!
What would you say if you were asked, “What is the one thing needful, the one thing to concentrate on in your Christian experience above all else?” Some would say “soul-winning,” and that is admirable. Others might say “the fullness of the Spirit” is the one thing needful. Still others might say “reverence for God” is the really important thing. Let us consider how the Word of God answers this fundamental question.
He would have said, “No, not at all.”
“Well, David, your passion must be to remain undefeated on the field of battle, to lead your men again and again to victory.”
“Not really.”
“Is it to rule as a great king, to sit on the throne?”
“Oh no, not at all. That is rather incidental.”
“Well, David, what is your ruling passion?”
We have his answer in Psalm 27:4 (KJV): “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire [or to meditate] in his temple.”
There you have it in one verse of Scripture. Only one thing really mattered to David—intimate fellowship with his God. To be a true worshiper of God was his passion. And because he desired this one thing, all the rest became possible. If the one thing that is needful is sought, everything else will fall into its proper place and will perform its proper function.
Is a passion to worship Jesus Christ the primary passion of your life? If that is not central, then duty becomes a drudge, a chore. This is a day when we have become very clever at developing techniques for the spiritual life. But what usually happens? People are motivated for awhile, and then they stop. Then they are exhorted again, so they go a little further, then stop again. But why do they stop? Without true passion for Christ, nothing works consistently. It loses its power.
Let Your Passion Be Single
I recall once looking at my watch and thinking, “It’s rather early.” About ten minutes later I looked at my watch again. It was the same time. My watch looked the same as it ever had on the outside—same hands, same case. But it was useless for it had ceased to function. The mainspring withinhad snapped. The one thing needful had ceased to function.
Is a passion to worship Jesus Christ the primary passion of your life? If that is not central, then duty becomes a drudge, a chore. This is a day when we have become very clever at developing techniques for the spiritual life. But what usually happens? People are motivated for awhile, and then they stop. Then they are exhorted again, so they go a little further, then stop again. But why do they stop? Without true passion for Christ, nothing works consistently. It loses its power.
We were created to worship Jesus Christ. We were created to know His pleasure. But this demands taking everything out of our lives that does not contribute to the one great objective. You must decide who you are to be. Like David, will you make obsession with Christ the defining priority of your life?
David’s Passion
You might have asked David, “What is your ruling passion? Is it to be a great communicator?”
David was a truly remarkable man, an amazing servant of God. If you are fascinated by preaching, here was a great preacher. If you are inspired by a great leader, here was the great leader of the nation of Israel . If you are interested in soldiering, here was an unconquered general in battle. If you are interested in kingly qualities, here was the greatest king ever to sit on the throne of Israel . And on top of all of this, we remember him primarily as the incomparable psalmist.
