One Thing Only is Necessary

WEEKLY OVERVIEW

In our first week of Catalyst, we’ll explore seven answers to the heart’s most important question: “Why?” Until we understand why spending time alone with God every day is worth the time and energy it takes, we’ll never be able to develop consistency or go as deep into God’s presence as we were created for. May you realize both the depth of your need and the goodness and availability of your Father as you discover your why.

DEVOTIONAL

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me’. But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:38–42).

There is no better passage of Scripture to illustrate the biblical value of spending time alone with God than the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus’ statement in verse 42 is shockingly countercultural, even to much of our Christian culture today. Jesus says that “one thing is necessary,” and that’s to sit at his feet. The original Greek actually takes the sentiment of verse 42 even further. Jesus’ statement is better translated as “one thing only is necessary.” 

Jesus is calling you to a lifestyle of valuing time alone with 

him above all else because it’s 

absolutely the best thing for you.

Seeking to align my life with Luke 10:42 has changed everything for me. For most of my life, God got what was left of me, if anything at all. I viewed almost everything else in my day as necessary and time with him as ancillary—as extra. But the reality is that spending time alone with him is foundational to everything else. It’s the one thing that’s necessary because only from the position of sitting at Jesus’ feet does every other aspect of life as God intends it find its proper place. 

When I prioritize time alone with God, my family gets a husband or father able to truly love them because I’ve just experienced the unconditional love of Jesus, of the Father. When I work from daily being filled by the Holy Spirit, I create things from God’s heart, from God’s voice, and with God’s leadership and anointing. When time spent alone with the Author of rest is at the center of my Sabbath, I find myself wholly revived and equipped to live with transcendent peace rather than just filling my day with entertainment. 

 

Every word of Scripture and every statement of Jesus were written or spoken out of love for us, and Luke 10:42 is no different. God is not trying to obligate you to have time alone with him. He’s not trying to add more to your plate. Rather, he wants to be the plate on which the whole of your life is made abundant, filled with the glory of his goodness. 

Jesus is calling you to a lifestyle of valuing time alone with him above all else because it’s absolutely the best thing for you. He knows that time alone with him is the only way you can truly abide in him and he in you. He desires to bless you beyond belief, to use you for far greater impact than you could imagine, and to make every moment richer and fuller—a true picture of what it’s like to be the beloved child of a limitless, loving Father. 

Take time in guided prayer now to reevaluate your priorities in light of Luke 10:42. Seek to discover what it would take for God to get the first of you rather than what’s left over. And make space to experience God’s goodness right now, that every moment of your day would be filled with God’s abundant presence. 

GUIDED PRAYER

1. Take time to meditate on Luke 10:42. Allow the weight of Jesus’ words to sink in. And commit to choosing obedience to God’s word, acknowledging that every word of Scripture is fundamentally best for you. 

“One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her” (Luke 10:42 MSG).

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal one reason why spending time alone with God is necessary for you. Reflect on the parts of your life that would be better if they were built on the foundation of daily experiences with God’s love. 

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17–19).

3. Ask the Holy Spirit for one thing you can do to live more aligned with this value of spending time alone with God. What’s one thing you could stop or start doing to make room to prioritize getting alone with God? What would it take to make space every day to sit at the feet of Jesus?

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). 

GO . . .

God doesn’t expect everything in your life to change overnight. He has grace for every day. His mercies are new every morning. Have the same grace for yourself that God does. You won’t do this perfectly. But you can grow and change every day. Every day you can discover new ways to center your life around God. Rather than adopting a mindset of striving, choose to enjoy the fact that you serve a God of process. Enjoy the fact that whether you fail or succeed, God is with you through it all. And allow his grace for you and enjoyment of you to lay a foundation on which you can learn to seek him. May you be blessed as you seek to do the one thing that’s necessary: to sit at the feet of your Savior, Jesus. 

To help you get more out of this plan, today I want to offer you an additional resource I wrote called God Speaks: 6 Avenues to Hear from God today. Learning how God speaks is foundational to getting the most out of your time alone with God. I pray that this short PDF will help you experience God through First15 in even greater ways.

God Speaks