A moment of spiritual reflection what is most important in your life?
“One thing I ask from 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 the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalms 27:4 NIV)
Only one thing is incomparable to every other things a person seeks
We all have important things we need in this life. There are things important than others. But only one thing is most important above all. If you are asked to choose between one hundred million dollars and eternal life, what would you chose? This seem to be a very easy question, but is very difficult to give straight forward genuine answer. As an objective question there is no allowance of choosing both. You either chose money or eternal life. To complicate the matter $100,000,000 in today’s exchange rate is equivalent to approximately KSH 9,766,000,000. Can this be a great temptation as compared to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness?
Disregarding the objectivity of the question, these are few possible logical arguments that will cloud the minds of most people. ‘May be I can choose money first, and then eternal life later. ‘Or ‘I think I need money most for now, otherwise there is always open chance for eternal life to all.’ Another would think, ‘Why don’t I choose money, then tithe ten percent, and become a good Christian? And another would reason, ‘God knows I need money and I need eternal life, I will choose money and later I seek for eternal life.’ There are many logical arguments that will tend to control the minds of many while struggling to make choice from such an objective question.
Think of all what you wanted to be as much as your memory can take you back to the past. A doctor, a lawyer, an Economist, a teacher, a professor, Engineer, accountant, actor/actress, pilot, Business management, administrator,…..? We all seek for temporal things because we need them in this life? We all like to choose the best this life can offer. The most important things we wish for are not easily attainable. Do we all get what we wish to have? No. If we get them are they all what we need in this life? Definitely not. God know all what we need. He has been providing and will never be tired of doing so. The problem is that there are many things that we want that we do not need. Because we think we need them, we go after them. If we get them it’s well and good, they add up to our basic needs. Let’s reason over this. Are these things evil? No. Do they distract us from seeking God? May be. Do they severe our former relationship with God? Probably yes. Do they develop feelings of pride in us? Not sure. How is your faith in God compared to when you were born again?
We get worried and upset by the very things that we think we most need, but we don’t actually need those most. Only one thing is incomparable to every other things a person seek. One day Jesus went to a village where Martha hosted Him with his disciples. But Martha was very busy with the chores of hospitality while her sister Mary who chose to listen to the words of Jesus. The bible says, “Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made” (Luke 10:40 NIV). She came to complain to the chief Guest. Listen to what Jesus answered Martha: 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!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10 40b-42). There are many things that that we choose that absolutely ends up upsetting and worrying us in this life. What are the things that worries and upset you most? You don’t need them most. God knows how to take care of them. Jesus did not say that Martha was not doing well. He wanted Martha to understand that what her sister Mary had chosen is most important because it pertains to what is eternal as compared to hospitality which is temporal.
David who wrote psalm 27 was literally speaking out of experience. Since his youth, he had gone through experiences that earned him honor among his peers and the entire nation of Israel. Fighting with bears, and lions as a shepherded, fighting with and killing Goliath, hunted by King Saul, and his own children seeking his life. At some point he was even humiliated even by his wife having affairs with one of his sons.
He was a hero and a great king. As a king of Israel he had all the things needed most to make his life comfortable. But David had learned that there is only one thing incomparable to all other things. He had prayed God about it. And God had granted him. “One thing I ask from 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 the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalms 27:4 NIV). There are many things that we strongly wish or feel we want to most have. David as a normal human being must have asked God for many things. But there was one thing that had climaxed his requests above all others. This was divine connection with the author of life. To behold-is an old English word used to present a king or prince to the subjects. David had put himself to the position of a subject disregarding who he was so as to delight in the presence of the beauty of God in meditation. He dedicated himself to God all the days of his life. Nothing was to take him away from what he has chosen and committed to be-a worshiper. This is an act of total surrender to God. The one thing that we need to seek for regardless of who we are and all that we have. This is the only one thing that is incomparable with all other things a person seeks. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:3 New Living Translation)
By Rev. Andrew Mugo and Pr. Peninah Kariuki.
