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. It 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 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 resource specialists in the business world are saying that multitasking is detrimental to an individual's 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 my devotional blog since its inception, you understand how my heart has been recaptured and drawn back to my first love of serving Jesus. Three years of having wandered in a spiritual 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 current set of circumstances, it is easy to discover that three areas of life dominate my time: family, work, and ministry. The demands of each of these will put me into a multitasking mindset that at times is personally overwhelming. Is God calling me to let something go in order to invest more time in ministry? I have already scaled back considerably on the amount of work that I am performing in my secular employment, and yet I still face the struggle of having too much to do and not nearly enough time to get it all done. Does that sound familiar to you?

Perhaps a change is on the horizon for me and Tammy, we do not know. But we do know that our God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. We are desperate to see and experience a move of the Spirit of God in churches across this land, and yet we are saddened that so few have a heart for true revival and awakening. In fact, it seems as if the vast majority of church members, and many church leaders, do not even understand this terminology of biblical truth and church history that has transformed countless lives when He begins to do a fresh and powerful work among His people. No wonder spiritual darkness seems to be gaining the upper hand, as the light is so very dim. Oh, how I pray that my singular focus will be to KNOW HIM! Then, and only then, can I be adequately prepared to make Him known.