One Thing Is Needful

This year holds possibility. Like a blank canvas, you can fill it with new plans and activities. Most likely, you have already started to do so.

Jesus says, however, that ‘one thing is needful.’ That ‘one thing’ is to sit at his feet, as a disciple (Luke 10:42).

There is a reason why I am encouraging you to think about this at the beginning of the year. I increasingly believe that it is the most important action that you can take – the single step that will transform every other aspect of life.

If we prioritized this – learning from Jesus – it could affect us radically.

Perhaps we would not have as much time to keep up with news and national events – but maybe we would recognize how little value these things actually contain.

Perhaps we would not have so much time to spend at work, and the paycheck would be correspondingly smaller – but maybe we would become better stewards of the resources that we possess, using it for the kingdom.

Perhaps we would have less time for personal relaxation and enjoyment – but maybe our time would be sweeter and richer, suffused more deeply by the joy of God’s love.

As a young man, George Whitefield regularly spent two hours every evening, reading the New Testament on his knees. John Wesley’s house contained a small room with only a Bible and a candle, where he regularly retired for prayer. George Mueller, as he labored to learn Biblical Hebrew, would sometimes spend twelve hours at a time reading his Old Testament, worshipping God in the process.

What does it look like for you to prioritize time with Jesus this year?

Does it require that you sell your TV, block Youtube on your phone, or give away your video games? Does it mean that you set off time in your schedule, get up an hour earlier each morning, or opt out of some social events?

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Pick up your Bible, find a comfortable chair, and engross yourself in reading. Give yourself unhurried, leisurely time to do so. You aren’t trying to check off chapters or fill a time limit – you are aiming to learn from Jesus. If you are like me, you might want to keep a pad of paper nearby, so that you can jot down thoughts, ideas, and questions. Maybe a cup of coffee and some quiet music will help you to tune out distractions and focus more fully on what you are doing – that is up to you. But don’t make it more complicated than it really is.

It will take time, and the benefits will not be immediately obvious. Still, at the end of the year, you will not regret it. I think you will agree with Jesus – ultimately, only ‘one thing is needful.’