I was meditating on Psalm 27 and having a conversation with my Father, God. It was verse 4 that arrested my attention.

One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.

Okay, so I’m thinking that what I desire of the Lord is to dwell in His Presence all the days of my life to behold His beauty and to have a relationship with Him. I thought I had it! Yes, that’s the desire of my heart!

But the Lord had me to go back to the beginning of the verse. One Thing!!! What is my One Thing???

The Message Bible translation made it even more clear to me:

I’m asking God for one thing. Only. One. Thing. To live with Him in His house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate His beauty. I’ll study at His feet.

Then all of a sudden the words to a song written by Matt Redmon came into my head! Thank You, Holy Spirit!!!

“Let all the other names fade away

Let all the other names fade away

Until there’s only You

Let all the other names fade away

Jesus, take Your place

Jesus, take Your place

Let all the other names fade away”

In His Presence all those other names fade away!!! He has to become my One Thing!!!

What other names need to fade away? What idols have I allowed to take His place? 

My comfortable lifestyle? 

My money?

My Success in life?

My Relationships?

My Appearance?

The approval of others?

My independence?

My entertainments and hobbies?

My gifts and talents?

My fears?

I have to examine myself! Is Jesus really my One Thing? Is He my Priority? Am I seeking first my King and His Kingdom?

And then I heard the Lord say:

“Yes, this is a serious issue that My people are so not aware of. And they don’t want to deal with it. They love their idols and don’t even realize that they are double-minded. Loving the things of the world rather than being wholly in Love with Me!!!”

The Word of God clearly states:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (or any other idol)! Matthew 6:24

So I asked the Lord why I was having such a hard time making Him my One Thing and loving Him with my whole heart. He said:

“You are still struggling withThe Truth. You must meditate in My Word and be humbly submitted to it so as to allow it to permeate every fiber of your being. It must become your reality, so deeply embedded in the core of who you are that nothing else matters but knowing Me, loving Me, and doing My Will.”

And I understood that I can only do that by availing myself of His abundant grace. And He gives grace to the humble.

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 

I am determined to let all the other names fade away until He is my One Thing!

And so my sisters, I know I’m not the only one with this heart issue. I just hope my ramblings will somehow help you to see what my Lord revealed to me — that He has to become our One Thing, and that nothing else really matters.