ONE THING – ONE FOCUS

One Thing – One Focus

Psalm 27:4 (Amplified)– One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.

One thing I seek – that I may dwell in His presence all of the days of my life.   This is my focus. This is where I concentrate my attention, because this is where all the other things I need for myself and to help others come from.

2 Peter 1:2-4 – Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine  nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

The Message – Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God.  The best invitation we ever received!  We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

Grace and peace will be lavished on me as I grow in the rich knowledge of God.  Everything I need for life, both my spiritual life and my natural life are given trough this knowledge.  Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given me by me getting to know Him personally and intimately.  The means of me partaking of the things He has provided is by His precious and magnificent promises.

Luke 10:41-42 – But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

There are so many things in life to be busy and bothered and worried about, but only one thing is necessary, Lord I have chosen this good part, and it shall not be taken away from me.

Philippians 3:8-10 – More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

V. 8-(Living) – Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ.

I HAVE PUT ASIDE ALL ELSE, COUNTING IT AS WORTH LESS THAN NOTHING – IN ORDER THAT I CAN HAVE CHRIST.

V. 10 (Amplified) – [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope].

The ONE THING I seek is to know Him and to dwell in His presence. My determined purpose is that I may know Him, become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and clearly

V. 13-14 – Brethren, I could not count myself to have apprehended; but this ONE THING I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

One thing I do – I press toward the goal of my full calling.  My entire focus is on the goal of getting to know Him intimately and personally, through which everything else I need to please Him has already been given.

Matthew 6:31-33 (Amplified) – Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, what are we going to have to eat? or, what are we going to have to drink? or, what are we going to have to wear? For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all. But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Message – Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.  Don’t worry about missing out.  You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Wuest – Therefore, stop worrying, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we clothe ourselves?   For all these things the pagan Gentiles are diligently seeking. For your heavenly Father knows that you are in constant need of all these things.  But be seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness, and these things, all of them, shall be added to you.

Phillips – So don’t worry and don’t keep saying, what shall we eat, what shall we drink or what shall we wear?  That is what pagans are always looking for; your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart on the kingdom and his goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course.

Only one thing is necessary.  This one thing is the way into the abundant life He has given.  This one thing is knowing intimately Him who IS the way, the truth and the life. My focus is to be on Him and seeking Him.  If it is, these other things will come as a matter of course.  My everyday human concerns will be met.

Colossians 3:1-3 (Amplified) – If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

Seek first His kingdom, aim at the rich, eternal treasures that are above. Set your minds and keep them on what is above not on the things of the earth.

Jesus said, remain in me, abide in me, and I in you, then you will bear fruit.  His desire for me is the same as mine for Him – that I may dwell in His presence all the days of my life.

Lord, abiding in you and remaining in your presence every day of my life is my greatest desire and highest quest.  This is the main goal of my life.  Everything else goes flows out of this.

I am designed to live in His power not in my own.  He is there for me, my all and all, and in Him alone is my help.  But all of this requires continuing to abide in His presence. His actual presence is the answer to all of my needs.  Everything I need flows from His presence into my life.  Nothing of God comes to me and through me except through this relationship, this communion with His actual being and person. He is the way. The answer to everything I need now or ever will need is in His presence.  The source and foundation of all fruitfulness is Him.  I abide in Him and I bear fruit, I draw away and I shrivel up and become useless and am cast aside.

So my goal, the ONE THING I put first and press towards is HIM, that I may know Him intimately and closely and abide in His presence all the days of my life.  In focusing on this ONE THING, all of the other things I need will be given me as well.