One Thing

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; 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.”

Philippians 3:13-14

Multitasking: the performance of multiple tasks at one given time; the work of applying proper focus upon several responsibilities that must be done concurrently; the stressful labor of giving oversight to multiple demands or events at the same time.

In a world that continues to operate at internet speeds, the idea of multitasking is something that many of us can relate to. In makes no difference if we are in an office environment, a stay at home mom, a construction site, a health clinic or hospital, or if we are a staff member at a local church. We all know what it means to multitask, and we all know how mentally and emotionally draining it can be when our we are pulled in different directions and forced to focus on several demands at one time. In fact, after years of study, psychologists, medical doctors, and even human resources specialists in the business world are saying that multitasking is detrimental to an individuals overall health, and to their long range productivity.

This revelation should come as no surprise to us who are serious students of the word of God. In the Old Testament, Moses was a man with a full plate. He was providing critical leadership to the Jewish people following their exodus out of the land of Egypt. When his father-in-law, Jethro, saw the incredible load that Moses was seeking to carry, he confronted him in a loving and firm way: "The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself." (Exodus 18:17-18) He then counseled Moses to select able men who would become rulers over a certain number of people, to judge matters that would arise between them. There would be other rulers, or judges, that would hear cases that could not be easily decided. If anything was too difficult for this hierarchy, or network, of leaders, then eventually Moses would hear the case and apply God's law to the situation. What was Jethro telling Moses? Multitasking will put you in an early grave!

Now I know that we cannot totally escape this reality of life. But at times we must take a healthy look at where we are physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually, especially when we seek to spread ourselves thin in order to cover a lot of bases. Recently, I was led of the Lord to do some evaluating on my own walk of faith in this journey of life. As I began to look carefully at what dominates my time, focus, and energy, I remembered the testimony of the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter three. His saying "one thing I do" really began to intrigue me. As I meditated on this passage, I also looked at other verses of scripture that had the two words "one" and "thing" wedded together. This time of study proved to be very personal to me, and I hope it will be very profitable to me, and others, as well.

If you have been reading Seeking Him since its inception, or have taken the time to read all the posts chronologically, you understand how my heart has been recaptured and drawn back to my first love. Three years of having wandered in the wilderness was enough. God showed me that He still had a desire to use me in His kingdom activity, and it has been exciting and exhilarating to immerse myself again in the work of the gospel. In evaluating my life during the past few weeks, it has been easy to discover that three areas of life dominate my time: family, work, and ministry. Realizing that God was calling me to let something go in order to invest more time in ministry, I knew that He was not putting His finger on my family and telling me to let them go. My precious wife still loves me and has a long list of "honey-do" projects, and Apryl still relies upon us heavily in helping with Micah and Eli. So walking away from this incredible responsibility and delightful task was not what He was demanding. Therefore, the only item that His gaze could be fixed upon, and demanding some kind of change, was my work.

Realizing that the only way that I could serve as Paul did, with a more single focus, has caused me to inform my employer that I will conclude my time with his company toward the end of this year. He grew up in a pastor's home and understands the struggles of ministry. He is supportive of my decision, and I have enjoyed my years of working for him and his wife in their family business. I have no financial guarantees in the future, but that's fine with me. My family and I have been in similar situations before, and God has always been faithful. I learned a few years ago that to journey successfully on the pathway of faith is quite simple. All we have to do is hear Him when He speaks to us, then TRUST and OBEY. My goodness, someone ought to write a song about that!