Once when Bernice and I had come across to New Zealand from Zimbabwe we stayed with my dad at Snell’s Beach and were really looking forward to go fishing together in his new boat. I had been away from New Zealand for such a long time. One day when the tide was right and the Maori fishing calendar said “go for it,” we got everything ready the night before so we could get out early and fish at the breaking of the day.
The boat was on the trailer and all hooked up, the rods were packed and we had sandwiches all made, along with drinks in the fridge. Before sunrise we were off on time and launched the boat in the dark without a hitch. This was going to be a day to remember. When we got to the spot in the Harbour the sun was rising on a perfect day. It was good to be alive. We got our rods out the crystal waters to give it a go. But there was something missing. We had left the bait behind. Oh no. I found that Snapper don’t like peanut butter and jam sandwiches. Everything else was perfect but it was all ruined because of just one thing. That missing thing made it a pointless exercise. It may have been a little thing in the big picture, but it ruined the day. It’s like no salt in the rice or that sore little toe that ruins your walk. The bible says that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.
In our walk with God this principle applies big time. That one thing can ruin everything. You can have all the world’s goods and miss out on the most important thing of all. It may seem little and of no consequence in the eyes of the world but without Jesus your whole life is pointless. He is the missing ingredient. I love the story of Martha and Mary.
“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:38-40
In Luke 10 we read the story of Mary and Martha. Martha had invited Jesus into her house and was preparing a meal for Him. Her sister Mary was over awed by the presence of Jesus and sat at His feet soaking up His words. Martha was busy in the kitchen preparing and got upset that Mary wasn’t helping her. She asked Jesus to tell Mary to stop what she doing and help her, but He didn’t respond the way she expected. He said that Mary had chosen the right thing. What Martha was forgetting was that Jesus had food to eat that we know not of. His food was to do the will of the Father. Martha could have come and joined Mary too. She could have sent out for fish and chips, for Jesus didn’t really care. Martha was like many of us, she was ‘working’ for Jesus and didn’t see the point of worship. Martha loved Jesus and couldn’t do enough for Him. But she was so busy serving Him that she didn’t know how to relax and enjoy being with Him. Mary however had discovered His worth and sat at His feet. She was seizing the moment. Soaking up His presence. Martha didn’t expect to get the answer that Jesus gave her when she came moaning to Him. Jesus said “There is only one thing worth being concerned about.” We need to ask ourselves. What am I getting all over heated about? How does this concern compare to the wonder of Jesus?
What I find in scripture is that worship is highly prized by God. Of all the things you desire, nothing compares to it. Jesus said that there was one thing missing in Martha’s life and that was seeing the worth of Jesus and enjoying Him. It’s that one thing that was missing. Having it could make a world of difference. Mary didn’t stay in that position on the floor forever and Jesus didn’t stay there either, but Mary gained a firm foundation of love in her relationship with God. Mary’s relationship wasn’t ‘works’ based but relationship based.
“There was only one thing worth being concerned about and Mary has discovered it and it wouldn’t be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41
We can give God our money, our prayers, and our service which are all good but what He really wants more than anything else is our love. He wants us to appreciate who He is and treasure His worth. What was that one thing that was missing in Martha’s life? It was the single minded love for Jesus that Mary was exhibiting. Mary’s thoughts were filled will adoration for Jesus while Martha was getting all bitter and twisted that no one was helping her in the kitchen. Jesus showed her that day that He wasn’t as worried about getting a meal as He was about her worship. When it comes to a competition between the two,, worship wins hands down. For years I didn’t see the point. I was like Martha. I said that I can worship God when I get to heaven but down here, let’s get on with it. The here and now is the place where we serve God - right? Little did I realise that worship is the fuel that helps us serve God with excellence.
Jesus said to Martha that what Mary had in her life needs to be discovered. It’s all about choice. We have to choose to believe what the word says about who He is and what He wants. So many don’t know what He wants, because they don’t sit at His feet long enough. Do you know who you are dealing with? When you do, it makes all the difference. It changes your priorities. Once you have discovered who He is, you are hooked. He becomes your Treasure, your Canaan Land, your Unspeakable Gift, the Pearl of Great Price and Exceeding Great Reward. This changes your life forever. Once Jesus has been discovered it won’t be taken away from you.
I once heard a story which I’m not sure is an urban myth or not. There was a competition where those who won had a few minutes to run around a super market and put as much as they could into their shopping trolleys. There were a few ladies who won the competition. Naturally your strategy would be to make a bee line to the most expensive items in the store and fill up. One lady was just ambling along and hardly put anything in her trolley. When asked why she wasn’t in a hurry and seizing the moment. The woman gave a simple reply. “My husband owns the supermarket.” She wasn’t fussed. She wasn’t under any stress. She knew who she was and what she had.
Martha was under a lot of stress. If only she knew that her creator was her husband and He owned everything. He owned the Supermarket. What she needed was for Him to be her all in all.
When we know this truth it takes a whole lot of stress out of your life. It’s the difference between Life and an Abundant Life. Mary saw who He was and she wasn’t going to miss the moment. All else was put on hold. The amazing thing is that when you discover Him you will also discover who you are as well. You will know that you are greatly loved by God and how much He wants to be with you. He loves you so much that He died for you. The Song of Songs will open up to you and you will know that you are His Bride. King David discovered the wonder of the Lord even under the Old Covenant. He had everything in life but realised that without that ‘One Thing,’ everything else was pointless. He had such a hunger for God that he was allowed to see His glory. Praise God that we have the Holy Spirit’s help to do the same thing now as we are washed in the blood of Jesus.
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4
“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 one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in his Temple, living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his incomparable perfections and glory.”
“Here’s the one thing I crave from God , the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe,delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.”
Once you have really tasted of Him, nothing else matters. As the hymn goes. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” You will never want to go back to the world.
After Moses had that encounter at the burning bush and later saw the glory of God, he never wanted to go back to Egypt. The children of Israel however may have seen miracles but they were always wanting to go back and most of them never entered Canaan Land.
They hadn’t seen the beauty of the Lord and if you don’t see the beauty of Jesus you’ll want to go back to the world as well when under pressure. We need that missing ingredient otherwise, life is pointless. Without this revelation we will end up falling in love with creation rather than the creator. Having Jesus in your life seems insignificant in the eyes of the world. It may seem so small but it makes all the difference.
The Devil knows what the Father prizes and what He is looking for from us and tries to stop us realising it and giving it to Him. A lot of what is happening in our lives today is the Devil trying to distract us from that one thing. He’s trying to stop you from finding the ‘Pearl of Great Price.’ We shouldn’t be ignorant of His ways. We need to know what the Father wants. What He values and really wants. This truth is brought out in Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. He told her that God is looking for worshippers.
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24
Jesus spoke of a time coming (and it is here now) when we will worship God in spirit and in truth – amen. Things are different now for the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh and we can now be Born Again and actually be filled with the Spirit of God. We are a privileged people. The trouble is we don’t really appreciate what we have received in this dispensation. A favourite trick of the Devil is to distract God’s people with all the clutter of this life so that we don’t think much about the things of the Kingdom and what we have received from God.
I notice sometimes in Church that when we are meant to be worshipping some folk are distracted by talking to their friends, others prefer to read the newsletter and I have even seen one lady write a letter while in worship. Others come late after worship every week. It’s obvious that they don’t know what corporate worship is all about and how God loves it. We were created for it. John 4 says that God is seeking for worshippers, so it must be important. Why you may ask? It says that He is especially seeking for those who will worship Him in the Spirit. Those who are Born Again and filled with the Holy Ghost. The Bible says that those who are joined to Christ become one in spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17.
Old Testament worshippers didn’t have this privilege, they could not be joined to God as we are and experience worship on such a high level. Notice that it doesn’t say that He is looking for Tithers, Evangelists or Prayers. Aren’t these all important? Yes, but He knows that if He has you as a Worshipper He has all of the above. Muslims most likely pray more than many of us do. JWs may witness more and the Jews can give more money, but do they worship in spirit and truth? What the Father wants is a heart of worship. Worship is that one thing that can make all the difference in our walk with God.
We have a passport or driver’s licence now days to prove who we are. A Passport is our proof of identity. A powerful proof of our identity as a Christian is our passion for Jesus. Our fixation on Jesus and His presence, prove that we are really His. A JWs can witness more for their Church than many of us but they don’t have a passion for Jesus, In fact they say that Jesus isn’t even God, but a creation of God. Muslims can pray up to 7 times a day which is more than some Christians do. Prayer is no proof of identity. They have no passion for Jesus. Jesus is the missing ingredient and makes all the difference.
“For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. “ Colossians 2:9-10