Bishop Challoner's Meditations ~ November 8th

ONE THING IS NECESSARY. LUKE X. 42

Consider first, O my soul, and open thy eyes to the great light of this divine sentence of thy Saviour: 'One thing is necessary.' It will be of infinite service to thee to dispel the darkness and mists that encompass thee on all sides, and to direct all thy steps to the sovereign truth, to the sovereign good. Alas! what a multiplicity of cares and concerns about empty vanities and worldly toys, is apt to take up our whole mind and heart. What a variety of amusements distract our thoughts! In what a dissipation do we generally live! How little is there of God in our daily conversation! How few of our words or actions are referred to him! Oh! 'tis too true that we let everything else take the place of that only business for which we came into this world! And yet all this other variety and multiplicity which employs all our thoughts, words, and actions, is just nothing at all to our purpose, whereas upon that one business our all depends for all eternity.

Consider 2ndly, what this one thing necessary is, that is here recommended by our Lord. Doubtless, 'tis nothing else but the dedicating ourselves to the love and service of our God, in order to the securing the eternal salvation of our souls. O! 'vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, but the loving of God, and the serving him alone.' - Kempis. Yes, my soul this is our only business, this is the business for which alone we came into this world; nothing else deserves to be called our business; whatever our employment or calling be in the world, it must be ever subordinate to this great business; all our thoughts, words, and deeds, should ever tend to God, and to our eternal salvation. Whatever takes us off from attending to this great business is hurtful, it is pernicious to us; whatever has no tendency to this one thing necessary, is all quite idle and vain. O, 'what doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' Matt. xvi. 26.

Consider 3rdly, those words of our saviour, Matt. vi. 33, 'seek ye first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.' This kingdom of God, which we are here commanded to seek in the first place, is the kingdom of grace in our souls, 'tis the kingdom of divine love this kingdom of God is within us, Luke xvii. 21. It must be established in our own interior. This justice of God is that by which he makes us just indeed, through the merits of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ the just; `'tis the charity of God which is poured forth into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us,' Rom. v. 5. This kingdom of divine love, this justice and charity of God in our souls, we must continually aspire to; this must be the first and greatest object of our longing desires; this we must seek with all our power, for this we must always pray with all the fervour of our hearts. And as to all things else, as far as they are proper and necessary for us, our heavenly Father will not fail to furnish us with them. We have his divine word engaged for it.

Conclude to follow, in the practice of thy life, these divine lessons of light and truth, by considering henceforward the love and service of thy God, and the salvation of thy soul, as thy only business, and all other concerns, compared with this, as nothing to thee. O take care of this one thing necessary and all shall be will with thee, both for time and eternity.