Only One Thing, A Quiet Yes At His Feet
The one needful thing, resting with Jesus, moving at His pace.
Devotional Credit
His Victorious Indwelling, compiled by Nick Harrison. Today’s reading features Watchman Nee with a closing reflection by Edward Dennett. Theme verse, Luke 10:42.
Photo Credit
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Martha loved the Lord. She opened her home, rolled up her sleeves, and wanted everything just right. Most of us know that impulse. We want to do something for Jesus, then the list grows, our spirit tightens, and joy slips through our fingers. Watchman Nee points us back to the one thing that is truly necessary, sitting with Jesus, letting His presence steady our hearts.
Mary chose that good portion. Same house, same meal, same Savior, but a different posture. She drew near and rested, trusting that listening to the Lord was not laziness, it was love. From there, the doing would come in its proper time and with His peace. That is the life of abiding in Christ, not frantic motion, but responsive fellowship that bears real fruit.
Nee reminds us that our busyness can be very sincere and still leave us inwardly troubled. We work, we serve, we plan, yet the center goes missing. Jesus does not shame Martha. He calls her by name twice with affection, and He uncovers the anxiety beneath the activity. His correction is a gift that frees us from the heavy yoke of self-management and invites us to His rest.
Edward Dennett’s note is a tender safeguard. The chapter that highlights Martha’s blunders also begins with the assurance that Jesus loved her. That love holds us steady while He reorders our priorities. So we take our place with Mary, not as escape from work, but as the source of it. We sit, we receive, and from that quiet Yes, His life moves through us with peace.
Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I call you by name and invite you to the one thing that cannot be taken from you. You began by grace, and you stand in grace. As you received the Lord Jesus, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in faith with thanksgiving. I am at work within you to will and to do what pleases Me.
You are not defined by anxious striving. You are a new creation in My Son. Your old man was crucified with Him, and you now live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. There is no condemnation for you, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free.
Abide in My Son and let His words dwell richly in you. Set your mind on things above where Christ is. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Present yourself to Me as one alive from the dead, and do what lies before you from the rest I provide. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its desires, and you owe the flesh nothing.
There remains a rest for the people of God. In quietness and trust is your strength. Sit with Me. Listen. Then rise in the same fellowship. I supply what I command. My grace is sufficient, and I complete what I begin.
Real-Life Analogy
Picture a pot of stew on the stove. Turn the heat too high and you will scorch the bottom while trying to stir everything at once. Lower the heat and let it simmer, and the flavors deepen on their own. Abiding is like that. The Holy Spirit within sets the pace, keeps the temperature right, and brings things together without frantic scraping. You still stir, but not in panic. You simply work with the heat that is already there.
Try this today when your calendar stacks up. Before you answer the next message, pause and whisper, Lord, I trust You to pace me from the inside and to shape my tone as I reply. Then write from that settled place, concise and kind, letting Jesus express His peace through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus the one needful thing is open to me at every moment. Thank You for Your love that steadies me, for Your indwelling Spirit who centers me, and for the quiet authority of the Lord’s presence within. I affirm that I stand in grace, I abide in Christ, and I will move through this day from Your rest. I receive the portion that cannot be taken away, and I trust the Lord to express His life through my words, my pace, and my service. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Luke 10:38-42; John 11:5; Colossians 2:6-7; Romans 5:1-2; Philippians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:6-11; Galatians 2:20; Romans 8:1-2; John 15:4-5, 7; Colossians 3:1-2, 15-17; Romans 12:1; Galatians 5:24; Hebrews 4:9-11; Isaiah 30:15; Psalm 131:2; Psalm 27:4.