One Thing is Needed is our Vision

When someone mentioned pregnancy the other day, my mind went straight to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. She was barren. Advanced in years. Then the angel came, and the promise she had carried in her heart for so long finally took root. You would think she’d shout it from the rooftops. Instead the Word says she hid herself for five months. That detail has always stayed with me. When the Lord plants something deep—when His word comes into that spiritual womb every one of us has—you don’t always need to announce it. The word is a seed. It is meant to be treasured. Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is marinate in what He is doing and simply let it be. That is the posture I want for us as we step into whatever the Lord is opening next.

Healthy Churches Give Jesus First Place

I have been asking the Lord what a healthy church actually looks like. He keeps making it simple. A healthy church is a church that gives Jesus first place. You can add a lot of other things after that. We usually do. We spend a lot of energy trying to get all the other pieces right. I just happen to believe that if we keep the simplicity of knowing Him at the center, everything else will flow.

Someone said it this way, and I have been carrying it: the Father has no other message but Jesus. Jesus is the only sermon the Father preaches.

Luke 10:38–42 is one of my favorite passages. I want this truth ringing in our spiritual ears.

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving…

We usually give Martha a hard time. Look at the wording again: Mary also sat at Jesus’ feet. That implies Martha had been there too. Something pulled her away.

God is not against serving. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. He was constantly serving and constantly abiding. You can serve and sit at His feet at the same time. That is going to matter for us. There will be people to serve. The call is to do it while we are still enjoying Him.

Sitting at His feet is simply enjoying Him. Jesus answered her:“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Burn that in your heart. Let it be tattooed on your spirit.

When you choose that one thing, no one can take it from you. It is yours. Forever. It is not a work. It is a gift. Miracles flow out of rest. They flow out of abiding. Jesus never scrambled. He never said, “I’ve got to get this man to see. I’ve got to get this leper healed.” His ministry came out of the place where He already was with the Father.

Stop Rehearsing Challenging Conversations

I had a hard conversation this week. The Holy Spirit has been teaching me not to premeditate those things. We spend too much time rehearsing conversations and outcomes we are not responsible for. That is part of making Him Lord. You take those thoughts captive. The Holy Spirit is the arresting officer. To the degree we give Him lordship is the degree He will take them.

It starts in the small things. If you let Him arrest the small thoughts, it makes room for Him to do it more and more. Holy Spirit is a big boy. Be of good courage. Trust that He will give you the words and the wisdom in the moment you need them. That is so much more fun than being tossed to and fro. I am a citizen of another kingdom. He wants these things worked out in my life more than I do. The white flag has to go up every day. That is true strength.

We are going to meet people from every walk of life. We have all had dysfunction. Jesus said, “Learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” His mercy endures forever. Grab hold of that and it will keep you near His heart and near His voice. Sometimes it feels like we cannot hear Him. I think He is whispering. Lean in. What He wants to say is not always meant to be shouted. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. Look for time alone with Him. Talk to Him. Give Him room to speak. When you stay soft, the Potter can shape you into His image. One thing is needed. Choose it. It will not be taken away.

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For the week

Read Luke 10:38–42 slowly. Sit with verse 42. Ask the Lord where serving has pulled you from His feet, and where He is inviting you to enjoy Him in the middle of the work.

If a hard conversation or a swirling thought keeps rising, practice raising the white flag instead of premeditating. Trust the Holy Spirit in the moment.

This post was shaped from the transcript of a recent teaching with the help of AI tools. I reviewed and edited every part so it reflects my own thoughts, voice, and study of Scripture.

— Courtney  

Dwell Church Adventures · Rockmart, Georgia

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