That One Thing

The following post was inspired by a lesson taught by one of our associate pastors at my local church.

A Short Story

Jim was a handsome, well-liked, and naturally respected boy. Sure, he did his fair share of stupid things as he grew up, but even during those years, people seemed to think well of him. He was what most adults at that time called a good-natured, rambunctious kid. But Jim was, by any definition, not a saint.

Jim had learned to leverage his reputation to take advantage of situations that other kids would never have gotten away with. This ability affected his personality. In a way, Jim was two very different people. One was a well-adjusted young man, while the other was a rebellious kid who lived on the line between good and bad.

One fateful day, a Christian with a heart for the unsaved told Jim about the Good News of Jesus. Jim was moved by the Holy Spirit, and he gave his life to Christ. He went “all in.” Every aspect of his life was lived with a commitment to righteousness—that is, everything but one thing. There was one thing that Jim wrestled with nearly every day.

Jim could never feel right with Jesus because he kept failing in one area of his life. Jesus forgave Jim every time Jim confessed his sin, but Jim’s battle with that one thing went on for many years. That one thing stole Jim’s peace.

Jesus did not lose patience with Jim. God is “slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth¹.” But Jim had a difficult time with that one thing. He was angry at himself and frustrated with God. He wondered why he constantly fought that one thing.

Years later, as Jim prayed, the Holy Spirit impressed upon Jim that God was giving Jim mastery over that one thing. God didn’t take that one thing away, but He gave Jim the strength to apply self-control over it, and Jim did, and he did, and he did.

Dealing With Your One Thing

C.S. Lewis said, “The threat Christianity has always faced is idolatry. God doesn’t need our worship. Worship is for our good. The duty of the created is to worship the Creator.”

If you have a “one thing,” you need to know that it is actually an idol in your life. You don’t want to submit to it, but you must if you are to have what it offers. However, to overcome it, you must see that “one thing” for what it is. God will answer your prayer if you ask Him to deliver you from that idol and give you the self-control to overcome that one thing. God answers prayer.

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Footnotes

1. Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 86:15 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved May 29, 2024, from (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2086%3A15&version=ESV) ↩︎