One Needful Thing

(Martha and Mary by He Qi, China)

God is patient, isn't He? He seems to repeat the things I need to hear over and over (and over!) again until I look up and say, "Oh - I get it!" Sometimes it takes weeks. Sometimes it's months. Sometimes, sad to say, it's even longer before I come to myself. Last week I read an article in Table Talk by Paul David Tripp that I've been ruminating over it ever since. (I quoted from it in my "Simple" entry last week.) It was about worry. For some reason, I've been worried. I can't say it's over One Big Thing, but really it's just been a conglomeration of lots and lots of situations. Money, kids, work, health, marriage, church, friends.... you name it, I've probably been worrying over it. There's just been an uneasiness in my spirit. I've known it's there, my husband's known it's there, and, thankfully, God's known it's there.

I read: "But, in this passage, Jesus uses another provocative category - need. Your life is always shaped by what you tell yourself you need. If need means "essential for life," to call something a need is a significant heart commitment." And further on, "...defeating worry is about being a good soldier in this deeper war for the heart. It is about fighting the temptation to attach the peace of your heart to things that, by their very nature are temporary and, therefore, are not organically designed to give you lasting peace. It is about daily feeding your soul on the promises and provisions of your heavenly Father. It is about taking special care before you name something a need." I could go on and on quoting from this article, but I won't. You can read the whole thing here.

I read this article on Monday evening and the phrase "needful things" has been floating around in my head all week.

Our church body is trying to go through the Bible together this year using the Life Journal reading plan. This morning I read in Genesis, Psalms, and Luke. Well - guess what chapter we were on in Luke? Ten. And guess what's at the end of Luke chapter 10? Mary and Martha. What was Martha's issue? Before this morning, I would have said "busyness." But, this is what Jesus says to her when she complains that Mary wasn't helping out in the kitchen:

"Martha, Martha (insert Belinda, Belinda here), you are anxious and troubled (insert worried) about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Jesus saw down to the heart of her problem. It wasn't that she was ticked at her sister for not helping out in the kitchen. It wasn't that she was overwhelmed by all the things she had to do. It wasn't that she was too busy. Nope. She was all these things but really it was that at her core she was anxious and troubled. And she wanted Mary to be anxious and troubled, too, instead of being consumed by the one thing necessary (or the "needful" thing as the King James Version puts it), the good portion that cannot be taken away.

So, what is the one needful thing? Thirteenth century German theologian Meister Eckhart said it was "sanctification, that is separation from all outward things. Real sanctification consists in this that the spirit remain as immovable and unaffected by all impact of love or hate, joy or sorrow, honour or shame, as a huge mountain is unstirred by a gentle breeze."

In the 1700's George Whitefield preached that the needful thing was the "care of the soul, a readiness to hear the words of Christ, to seat ourselves with Mary at his feet, and to receive both the law and the gospel from his mouth."

In 1871, Charles Spurgeon said, in his usual confident style, that it was easy to figure out - "Very clearly this was to sit at Jesus' feet and hear his word... a readiness to believe what the Saviour taught, to accept and to obey—nay to delight in, the precepts which fell from his lips. And this is the one thing needful—absolutely needful; for no rebel can enter the kingdom of heaven with the weapons of rebellion in his hands. We cannot know Christ while we resist Christ: we must be reconciled to his gentle sway, and confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

From a more modern source, John MacArthur, says "The single priority for all Christians is to hear the revealed Word of God because that is prior to every other spiritual duty... Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "Man shall not live on bread alone but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God," right? That's our life. That's our prior thing. That's antecedent to every other thing. Nothing is better than hearing the Lord speak, nothing is that important, nothing compares to that. And when that opportunity is there, you grasp it.

So, taking all that into my heart, I've been thinking what are truly my needs? I'd like to think that I'm not so attached to the material things - house, cars, clothes - and maybe those specific things are not so important to me as they once were, but others are. Things like admiration from others, recognition, self-fulfillment... You get the idea.

But in truth, my One Needful Thing should only be the Word of God. That's where I must go when the worries of the day, the pride of my heart, and the fears and frustrations of the world come knocking at my door.

That I could be unmoved by worldly worries as a mountain by a gentle breeze
...that I could place priority on the daily care of my soul
...that I could have a readiness to believe, accept, and obey the Word of God
...that I would ache to hear the revealed Word of God

That is my prayer tonight. That is my One Needful Thing which cannot be removed.

Blessings ~