One Thing

I‘m asking God for one thing, only one thing : To live with Him in His house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate His beauty: I’ll study at His feet. The Message Psalm 27:4

One of my favorite movies is City Slickers starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. In the movie, three friends set off on a cattle drive to “get their smiles back”, and they meet Curly, a grumpy old trail boss.

There are many things the guys learned from Curly, but I think the best exchange comes between he and Mitch. Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is? This (he holds up one finger). One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and the rest doesn’t matter. Mitch: What is the one thing? Curly: That’s what you have to figure out.

The phrase one thing is mentioned sixteen times in the Bible in different chapters and situations. That one thing may be something different to each person, but I like what Frances Ridley Havergal once said. “Every year I live, in fact nearly every day, I seem to see more clearly how all the peace, happiness and power of the Christian life hinges on one thing. That one thing is taking God at His word, believing He really means exactly what He says, and accepting the very words that reveal His goodness and grace without substituting other words or changing the precise moods and tenses He has seen fit to use.”

This says to me that God wants to be within our reach and honor all the promises He has made to us. Our job is to be specific in our prayers and petitions, and stand firmly on His promises. When we do that, we can obtain enough power to throw open the gates of heaven and take those promises by force!

Many people don’t use checks anymore as debit and credit cards are the new way to purchase items and pay bills. My parents religiously paid their bills with checks. I still use checks a lot because there’s something about filling out a check for a definite amount for bills and purchases, and signing my name to it. It is something tangible and it helps me remember the exact amount I just spent.

Likewise, when we pray and petition God for something specific, it’s likened to taking a check to the bank and knowing we will receive exactly the amount for which we asked.

John Wesley said it best, God has written it down in a book. O give me that book. At any price, give me the book of God. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be a man of one book.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to have that one thing at the top of our agenda every day? It would revolutionize our lives.