One thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her– Luke 10:42

One thing is needful. How difficult it is to learn this lesson!

Martha meant well, and so do we oftentimes. There are a thousand things that call for our attention each day. There are obligations to fulfill, schedules to be kept, and people to be pleased. But in the midst of the daily hubbub, whether you are a homemaker or a chief financial officer, do not forget that one thing is needful.

A promising career is not needful. The approval of peers is not needful. A well-padded retirement account is not needful. Even the affection of family members is not needful. One thing—and one thing alone—is absolutely essential.

What could possibly be that important, in every culture and for every person? Jesus tells us: it was exactly what Mary hath chosen. The one thing that is needful is to sit “at Jesus’ feet” and “hear his word” (v.39).

We must make time in the busyness of our daily lives to spend at the feet of Jesus, submitting ourselves to his will and opening our hearts to him in prayer. We must be willing to say “No” to the countless distractions that threaten to pull us away from him throughout the day. We must hear his word, which he has shared and preserved for us in the Bible.

Communion with Jesus Christ is not just part of Christianity, it is Christianity. It is not just part of life, it is the only life that matters. It is the purpose for which you were created and it is the only thing which shall not be taken away from you by disaster or even death.(Baptist Bible Hour)

“God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”– 2Co  9:8.

Abundance is characteristic of God! Go forth on a spring morning, and look on the flowers with which He has carpeted the woodlands.

Daisies and buttercups, primroses and cowslips in myriads, bear witness to the prodigality of His thought and power–His thought to fashion, His power to produce. But this profuse carpeting of the earth’s nakedness is equalled in the heavens! There, depth opens beyond depth, lighted and inlaid with constellations, and the wonders of the sky answer to those of the earth. How multitudinous is God’s creation!

But what shall we say of His Grace? His Joy is unspeakable, His Peace passeth understanding, His Love is beyond knowledge! Get great thoughts of God, who holds the ocean depths as a drop in the hollow of his hand, and weighs the mountains as grains of dust in His scales. Lie upon that bank of flowers, and consider their multitude; sweep the skies with a telescope and see if you can tell the stars; number the sand-grains upon the shore, and count the shells strewn along the strand; and when you have considered the gifts of His hand, ascend to the wealth of His heart. Study the infinite map of God’s nature; compare it with the need of your little life, and then remember that the Father loves you infinitely, so much so that for your salvation and mine He gave His Only-Begotten Son. He has set His love upon you, and will certainly deliver you! He will set you on high because you have known His Name. All the resources of eternity and infinity are at His disposal, and He can make all grace abound toward you, that always having all sufficiency in all things, you may abound to every good work.

This is a very wonderful text! Count the number of universals in it. All Grace Always! All Sufficiency! All things! God abounding to us that we may abound. The word translated abound might be rendered literally “to flow or pour over.” “My cup runneth over.” Our Lord said: “I am come that they might have life, and have it overflowingly”; “Where sin overflows, grace much more overflows” (Jn  10:10; Rom  5:20).

Give me grace, O Lord, to see the beauty lying at my feet in the commonplaces of life; and to feel that Thou art as near, and that life is as wonderful today, as when men beheld Thee in the days of Thy flesh. AMEN.—F B Meyer

“... thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness…“Jonah 4:2

A Bible college student learned an unforgettable lesson  in one of his classes.

In the spring of 2002, he left work early so he could have some uninterrupted study time before his final exam at Hannibal College in Missouri. When he went to class, everyone was busy doing last-minute studying. The professor, Dr. Hufty, arrived and said he would give a short review before the exam; the students were thrilled.

When the review ended and the exams were passed out—face down—to all the students, the professor said, “Begin.” For some, that word invoked fear; for others it brought relief to finally be getting it over with.

But when the students turned over their exam papers, everyone shared the same expression of shock: all the answers were filled in—by hand! And at the bottom of the last page, Dr. Hufty had written this note:

This is the end of the exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an “A” as your final grade. The reason you passed this test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation, though it may have been a great discipline for your study, did not help you get this perfect score.

Then Dr. Hufty addressed the class with these words: “Some lessons you learn from lectures, some lessons you learn from research, but some lessons you learn from experience— and you will probably never forget those. And class, you have just experienced grace.”

When I read this story, I considered how Dr. Hufty’s lesson must have impacted the students differently. I wondered if some were upset—top-tier students who had spent hours poring over their notes, fueled by ambition to earn the highest grade. Now, to their chagrin, they received the same mark as everyone else—even those who didn’t study hard at all.

Are there times in your life when you, like a bright student and powerful prophet, bemoan the fact that God is delivering an offer of grace to someone you don’t believe deserves it as much as you do?—someone who doesn’t work or serve or pray or study nearly as diligently as you do?

Dr. Hufty illustrated for his class what God’s grace really looks like.  When it comes to the matter of salvation, God’s grace is available to everyone. No one ever deserves it—which is why it is called “grace.”  Grace is kindness offered to the undeserving.  Grace is love for the unlovely and a relationship for the unworthy.

Grace converts failing scores to perfect scores—just don’t forget that your perfect score wasn’t obtained by your own hand but by the hand of God, through Jesus Christ. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, “A” students and “C” students, model citizens and felons, Israelites and Ninevites make the same grade and are accepted into a society composed of redeemed sinners . . . sinners saved by the grace of God.

Take time to thank God for pouring His grace into your life, even though you did nothing to deserve it.–Wisdom for the Heart

“…Thou, O LORD God, hast spoken it: and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever”   (2 Samuel 7:29).

This is a promise pleaded, and so it yields double instruction to us. Anything which the LORD God has spoken we should receive as surely true and then plead it at the throne. Oh, how sweet to quote what our own God has spoken! How precious to use a “therefore,” which the promise suggests, as David does in this verse! We do not pray because we doubt but because we believe. To pray unbelievingly is unbecoming in the LORD’s children. No, LORD, we cannot doubt Thee: we are persuaded that every word of Thine is a sure foundation for the boldest expectation. We come to Thee and say, “Do as Thou hast said.” Bless Thy servant’s house. Heal our sick; save our hesitating ones; restore those who wander; confirm those who live in Thy fear. LORD, give us food and raiment according to Thy Word. Prosper our undertakings; especially succeed our endeavors to make known Thy gospel in our neighborhood. Make our servants Thy servants, our children Thy children. Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to Thee. O LORD God, “let the house of thy servant be blessed.” (Faith’s Checkbook)

Dear friend, God has given us many “exceeding great and precious promises“(2 Pet. 1:4), but we cannot delight ourselves in them unless we know them. However, we must not stop there. Not only should we know what God has promised we should plead His promises that we might gain that which God desires for us. Standing on the promises is good, but we also need to send the promises back to God on the wings of prayer. Think about it!

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”–Hebrews 11:4

With what voice shall we speak when we are dead? What will men hear when they turn their thoughts toward us? What part of us will remain alive, singing or jarring in men’s remembrance? It is the biggest part of us that retains its voice. In some it is wealth, in others it is goodness; some go on speaking in their cruelty, others in their gentleness. Cain still speaks in his jealous passion. Abel speaks in his faith. Dorcas speaks in her “good works and alms-deeds which she did”; Judas Iscariot speaks in his betrayal. Yes, something goes on speaking. What shall it be?

But these biggest things not only continue to speak in the ears of memory, they persist as actual forces in the common life of men. Our faith is not buried with our bones, nor is our avarice or pride. Our characters do not die when our hearts cease to beat. “The evil that men do lives after them,” and so does the good. But deeper than our deeds, our dominant dispositions persist and mingle as friends or enemies in the lives of others. By them we, being dead, still speak, and we speak in subtle forces which aid or hinder other pilgrims.–J H Jowett