ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

We live in a world that is fast advancing in every facet that it appears difficult for one to keep his or her mind fixed on just one thing. A lot of things calling for our attention, some of them not necessarily bad but just simply not expedient. So many things are happening, and so fast, all over the world. This is the time to pay more attention to what the Master has to say as never before. The Word of God tells us in Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” It matters who you listen to in life. In Luke 10:38-42, we read about the incidence that took place when Jesus visited Mary and Martha. We see how Martha was so occupied with the need to take care of the Master that she neglected what was most important. But Mary gave the Master absolute attention which, the Master said, was needful. Now, it is important we understand that what Martha was doing wasn’t wrong in itself, at all. It is vital to make your guests feel at home first of all before sitting down to receive or attend to what he/she came for. It’s called courtesy. So the problem was not that she was trying to fix things for the Master’s comfort. The problem was in her not recognizing or having a full understanding of Who had visited. In fact verse 38 tells us that it was Martha who received Jesus into her house – she was the main person in focus here. We need to catch this! And I pray that the Holy Spirit grants us revelation on this. The focus of this incidence is in the juxtaposition between the spiritual need of the hour and physical needs. Martha should have known that she wasn’t always going to have Jesus in her house, knowing who He was. She should have known that Jesus was a different kind of visitor. Her understanding of Who had visited should have made her see that paying attention first was more important than taking care of Him. If only Martha understood that Jesus Christ came for just one purpose and that it was urgent, she would have also understood that this is one opportunity not to be missed. Listening to the Master would have been her uttermost preoccupation. The problem was in her not recognizing, by revelation, Who had visited. She was OCCUPIED with so many things. What’s your emphasis in life? What is taking your attention the most? It’s time we rearrange our priorities to position ourselves aright for what’s really vital in life. Friend, it’s so unfortunate that I’ve heard a lot of teachings on this subject but the Teachers only emphasize that one thing is needful and they go ahead to say other things but that one thing which is needful. I’ve hardly heard any teaching that placed emphasis on that one thing Jesus said was needful. It’s so important that we pay rapt attention to God’s Word. God’s Word is not just another literature. There are no irrelevant details in God’s Word. Every single thing is important. Why, in the first place, was this incident documented? It’s for us to get God’s emphasis on what really matters in life. Jesus lets us know what that ONE THING is: Listening to Him (Luke 10:39,42). I make bold to say this, by the Spirit of God, that a man who makes listening to God a priority in life will never lack a single thing he really needs in this world. This is so true by revelation and by experience. God will always instruct you on the way to go and how to make a thing work if only you’ll listen to Him. No wonder Proverbs 4:13 tells us that we should take hold of God’s instructions because His instructions are life. I’ll never forget what Kenneth E. Hagin of blessed memory once said. He said God told Him “If you listen to me, I’ll make you rich.” That’s just it! Praise God! As we advance from age to age, we must come to a place in life where we define for ourselves what true value is. The word ‘value’ is actually relative. What a man defines as value may be different from what another defines as value. Our various definitions of value range from our different purposes in life. But for the Believer, Jesus says, value is absolute – listening to Him! When you listen to the Master, every other thing falls in place because He will instruct you on what to do in every area of your life. It’s so unfortunate how people think spending time in prayer is a waste of time. They rush out very early to work without giving God their most precious time of the day. They return so weak and used and sometimes even try to mumble some words in prayer and just sleep off only to wake up the next day and have to leave so early to work and this goes on and on and since they cannot hear the voice of God, not being well positioned through prayer, the enemy strikes and one thing leads to another and before you know it one tragedy occurs and so on. It is blatant foolishness to live life without express communication with God! Concerning the devotional life of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God tells us in 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.” This is so inspiring, considering the fact that no minister of the Gospel on earth has ever been busier than Jesus Christ was during His earthly ministry but He still had such a time for such kind of fellowship with the Father. This is to tell us what value the Master placed on listening to the Father. It’s about value friends! In the midst of all the hustling and bustling always remember that just one thing is needful. Even as the year closes up there would definitely be some kind of rush here and there in a bid to catch up with lost time. Still remember that just one thing is needful. Before you do anything, before you make any decision or take any step, especially in these last days, pay attention to what the Master is saying through the Holy Spirit. Sensitivity is a priority to those who really care about what the Lord has to say about everything. We build this sensitivity by meditating on the Word of God and letting the Holy Spirit work in us.