One Thing Needful

Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” There is no righteousness apart from Jesus Christ. So to hunger for righteousness is to hunger for Christ–He IS the Bread of Life. (John 6:35) To thirst for righteousness is to thirst for Christ. Jesus Himself said, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” The Scripture goes on to say, “He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been received, because Jesus had not yet been glorfied.” (John 7:37-39) Think about that for a moment, “…the Spirit had not yet been received, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” Have you glorified Jesus in your life by taking up your cross and following Him? Do you hunger and thirst after His righteousness–righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation? Are you like the psalmist whose soul panted with thirst for the Lord? Just as the Psalmist expressed intense desire for God in many songs, so today we continue to use music as an expression of our intense desire to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

We have gathered in this place
To seek Your Kingdom, Lord
Though we’re poor in spirit
As a child we receive Your Kingdom, Lord
In humility we will follow Thee
And in unity proclaim the gospel
May Thy Kingdom come
May Thy will be done
In Your family as it is in heaven

Mary and Martha both made choices about where they would focus their attention.  Martha welcomed Jesus, but then being distracted from Him by her many tasks, she chose to focus on the tasks rather than Jesus.  Her distraction led to worry, upset and complaining.  On the other hand, Mary made the right choice–sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him.  Jesus said only one thing is necessary.  Let us set aside everything that distracts us from that one thing, which is worshipping at His feet while listening to His voice.

This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything to take your stand. Stand therefore… (Ephesians 6:13)

There seems to be a much simpler battle strategy here than my perception has been:  1) prepare everything, then 2) take your stand.  All the pieces of armor are perfectly designed for this strategy.  So many times I allow myself to be swayed from the Truth, specifically regarding my position in Christ, but Paul says the way to fight is to “stand.”  However, I have no chance of standing if I haven’t prepared everything.  The first three pieces of armor are applied in preparation for the battle.  They are:

truth–it’s the Truth that sets us free

righteousness–it’s the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us

readiness

The gospel of peace, the “good news” of peace is the reason we are in the battle at all.  The battle is all about Satan trying to stop the “good news” from being proclaimed.  If the gospel is not proclaimed, how will people hear?  How will they believe?  How will they be saved?  Satan cannot change the fact that Christ died to redeem man.  He doesn’t have the power to stop Christ from redeeming man.  Stopping the “good news” from being proclaimed is the only strategy he has.  If we are going to be victorious in battle, we must understand the fight.  We must be ready not only to obey the gospel and spread the gospel, but we must be ready to defend the gospel, to live for the gospel and even to die for the gospel.  The good news is a precious treasure with which we have been entrusted.  We must be ready to defend it at all costs.

Once we have prepared everything (not some things or most things, but everything) we must simply stand–stand in truth, stand in righteousness, stand in readiness all for the sake of the “good news.”  Once our minds are transformed by Truth, we understand our position in Christ, and we’re ready to give our lives for the gospel, then and only then can we stand against the strategies of Satan.  The next three pieces of armor are what we use in the battle.

Satan takes advantage of struggles outside (the circumstances of life that happen to all) and fears inside (the inner thoughts and feelings based on faulty thinking) to render me powerless.  My only defense against his “flaming darts” is faith.  Faith based on the Truth, righteousness and readiness.

As I take my stand, salvation is the helmet that protects my mind.  Salvation belongs to our God.  It doesn’t depend on me.  Understanding that fact is the “helmet” that protects my mind.  My mind is to be fixed completely on the hope that is to be realized in eternity.  When my mind is fixed on the hope of eternity (granted by Jesus alone) I can do as Jesus, “who for the joy set before Him [the hope of heaven and eternal pleasures] endured the cross [persevered in battle]…”

The only weapon I have against the attack of the enemy is the Word of God.  The Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit.”  It’s what the Spirit uses to defeat the enemy of my life.  As I hide God’s Word in my heart, the Spirit brings it out as the need arises and enables me to use it against the enemy.  The Spirit is the One who “rightly divides” the Truth giving me understanding of Truth–who God is and what He has said.