One Thing I Do
One Thing I Do
Happy New Year! I hope you are excited about 2016. A new year seems to be a blank page, a fresh beginning. I know many of you have already focused on pursuing your New Year’s Resolutions. But instead of making a list of things to do, what if we made a list of things “To Be”. For example – instead of saying, “I will lose 20 pounds.” - we might put “Be Healthy” on our list. This means we will make better eating choices and be more active. In stead of listing “Read the Bible”, we could write “Be obedient to God.” In order to be obedient – we need to know who He is, know what He says, and learn to discern His voice. So therefore, we will read His word and spend time in prayer. Get the idea? So here we go…
Well…hang on a minute. I was working on my list last week and feeling pretty excited about each “To Be” item. Then on Sunday my pastor – Patrick Conrad – said two words that made we want to throw my long list in the trash can. He said them in his normal voice, but they were amplified in my heart. It was as if my heart beat was pounding out the rhythm of the two words over and over. Those two words were, “Be consumed.” Be consumed. Be consumed. WOW! That. Is. It! That is our answer. It is our “To Do” list. It is our “To Be” list. It is to be as Paul said, “the One Thing I do.” If we are consumed with God, then we will grow “To Be” everything we need to be. It makes our list one entry long. Be Consumed.
“When God is exalted to His proper place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once.” AW Tozer
Let’s be blatantly honest. Are we consumed with God? Does He come first in our lives? If we are telling the truth, we would have to admit that we are more consumed with many other things, for instance our “To Do” list. (Yikes!) We are consumed with being a good spouse or maybe consumed with our marital struggles. We are consumed with parenting, getting healthy and having a great 2016. We are consumed by TV, Facebook, our career, our physical appearance and even a good cup of coffee. However, …consumed with God? Hmmm…not so much.
Do we pray without ceasing, aware of His presence every moment? Or do we ignore Him and just dial His number when it is convenient or when we need something? I hate the way that sounds – but we are guilty. God is here. He is with us. He dwells within us. Did we forget? When we accepted Jesus as our Savior – we were consumed. We recognized we could not even breathe without Him. But now – instead of being consumed by Him, we are just a consumer who wishes to use Him for our benefit. “God, please let me have my way. God, please make others do what I want them to do. God, please fix my life that I have messed up. God, make me happy.”
Okay, all of this is making me sad. We stink! We are so foolish. Today is a GREAT DAY to get it Right! Today is a great day to be like Paul and say, “One thing I do….” So, in 2016 – one thing I do - one thing I will be - is CONSUMED with God.
Be in love with Him.
Be satisfied and fulfilled through an intimate relationship with Him.
Be overflowing with praise for Him, who He is and all that He has done.
In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul said,
“But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Be consumed by God. Can you imagine the great transformation that will take place? Yes! But one thing I do... Just this one thing.