One Thing

Grace fueled a relentless pursuit in the Apostle Paul to know God fully and reflect him faithfully. He is determined to finish the race and win the prize, knowing what awaits him there. He is focused on ONE THING—not holding on to the past and moving forward. Everyone has something that is important to them, and most of the time, it's obvious to those around them. It could be anything, but everyone knows what it is for each individual because it’s something they’re always talking about, working hard for, or expressing joy over. It’s their ONE THING. Christians know that Jesus should be the first priority in their lives, but they often struggle with maintaining focus and ensuring their lives are centered on Jesus Christ.

In this day and age, it’s all too easy to get caught up in busy schedules, relentless distractions, social media, and entertainment diversions. And while these things seem harmless enough, they can hugely impact our spiritual growth as Christians. Straining forward takes discipline and persistence. However, according to recent studies, the average person spends about two hours daily on social media. That's more than 10 hours a week! In contrast, the average person only spends about one hour in church weekly. When you combine all these things with the demands of our day-to-day lives, it’s easy to see how the upward call could be drowned out by the noise and distractions of the world.

Meaningful spiritual progress requires a combination of grace, grit, and grind. In the Kingdom of Grace, nothing in your past should prevent you from growing closer to Jesus. Pressing on with a humble heart allows us to focus on the upward call of Jesus Christ, which is our ultimate goal and reward. Have you taken the time to discern and reflect upon whether Jesus has made you part of His family? Are you allowing your flaws or failures to hold you back? Most importantly, will you take action and do the ONE THING—live out grace, grit, and grind—to grow spiritually?