One ThingNäide

The One Thing That Keeps You at His Feet

She went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” (John 11:28, ESV).

The living room was full of mourners, friends who had come to offer their presence and condolences to Mary and Martha after the death of their brother, Lazarus. Mary sat on the couch while several women gathered around her.

With all eyes fixed on Mary, no one noticed that Martha had quietly slipped out. She heard Jesus was coming, and she was the first to meet him on the road. When she reached him, she couldn’t hide her grief mixed with faith.

She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, ESV).

Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again” (v. 23).

Martha affirmed her belief in the resurrection, but assumed Jesus meant the distant future, not the present moment.

Then Jesus asked for Mary.

When Martha relayed this to Mary, she rose quickly to meet him. When she saw him, she said the same thing as her sister:

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 32).

But Mary said it from the posture she always assumed with Jesus: at his feet.

• She was at Jesus’ feet while Martha was busy serving in the kitchen (Luke 10:39-42).
• Mary was at his feet when she grieved the death of her brother (John 11:32).
• And she was at his feet when she poured her costly perfume on them and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3).

Whether she was listening, weeping, or worshiping, Mary was always in a posture of submission and worship. She was comfortable expressing all her emotions honestly with Jesus, but even in her overwhelm and grief, her love and reverence for Jesus shone through, and Jesus commended her for it (Luke 10:42). Mary delighted in Jesus not for what he could do for her, but simply for who he was. She longed to sit at his feet and receive his Word, and find her soul nourished and refreshed.

Do you long to have the same single-hearted, one-thing-above-all-lesser-things approach to your life with Christ? Do you want to be more like Mary, David, and Paul, who found that the “one thing” of worshiping Christ, beholding his beauty, and knowing him as life’s highest aim and greatest goal?

The pursuit of holy leisure is a refreshing approach to your quiet times, which will help you pursue the one thing. It’s not a check box to mark off each day, but an invitation to sit at Jesus’ feet and find your soul at rest, at leisure, as you worship him.

It’s there you will find what Mary found: the better portion that will never be taken away from you. This is the one thing we need most of all.

If you enjoyed this plan, and you've wondered which of the previous eight Bible characters and their stories most resemble your approach to God's Word, you can learn more by downloading this free guide.

8 Types. 8 Paths. One Pursuit. Which one are you? Get your free One Thing Guide to Holy Leisure here.