A Man Of One Thing

I am writing this post because I am not a man of one thing. I look inside my heart and realize that I am a man of many things. Jesus Christ, he was a man of one thing. I look inside my heart and find him there as well. Would that my heart would yield to him living his passionate and purposeful life in me. Yielding to him is my only hope and the following voices have been showing me how this yield actually takes place and what it looks like.

I listened to a sermon today where the pastor was giving a testimony about his mother and her love for Jesus Christ. She was a woman who treasured her time spent in prayer, especially the time at the beginning and end of each day which was spent without any distractions. The pastor said he once took her to the theatre to see a play. During the play, he saw that she looked troubled and so he leaned over and asked what was wrong. "When Jesus comes back, this is not where I want to be found." she said. Her words made me begin searching my heart. I realize some would call her extreme but in my heart as I heard this, I knew she was right and that I was merely hearing the words of someone who had taken the Bible seriously and had taken her love with Jesus Christ seriously. I hear a voice inside myself protest when I consider this woman's extremity. Then I realize that her words are not coming from a legalistic heart but that she is speaking purely out of her love to please her Savior. She is not missing out on any pleasure that I have. I am the one missing out on the pleasure that she has.

My reading in Luke coincided with this as I read about the parable of the sower. The seeds that don't end up bearing fruit fail because either the devil takes the word from their hearts, they have no root and wither in time of testing, or they are choked out by the cares and riches and pleasures of life. Do I want to grow and bear fruit? This is Jesus telling me what stands in my way. Do I want to get really serious about growing and bearing fruit? I need to obey him and do what he says! "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." This is the pastor's mother, holding the word fast in her heart. Her desire for pleasure has been so filled during her time spent each day in prayer with the Savior, it has left her no desire for the pleasures of the world. She is a woman of one thing.

I was convicted to write this post while reading J.C. Ryle, a man from what I read appears to be a man of one thing. My words are poor compared to his so I will let him speak.

I want to strike a blow at the lazy, easy, sleepy Christianity of these latter days, which can see no beauty in zeal, and only uses the word "zealot" as a reproach...
Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do his will, and to advance his glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature, which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted, but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called "zealous" men.
The desire is so strong, when it really reigns in a man, that it impels him to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to deny himself to any amount, to suffer, to work, to labour, to toil, to spend himself and be spent, and even to die, if only he can please God and honour Christ.
A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, wholehearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares of one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up for one thing; and that one thing is to please God.