Turlock | Pastor Dave Larson | 06-21-26

Devotional

Day 1: The One Thing That Anchors in Chaos

David’s psalm cuts through the noise of armies and adversaries with a single cry: to dwell in God’s presence. Even when life feels like a battlefield, he names his deepest hunger—not safety, success, or relief, but nearness to God. This isn’t a wish from comfort but a declaration from the wilderness. Our restless hearts, like Augustine’s, only find rest when tethered to the One who made them. What we truly want isn’t hidden in our words but in our daily pursuits. [09:44]

“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”
(Psalm 27:4, NIV)

Reflection: What does your calendar or bank statement reveal about your heart’s true desire? Where do you instinctively turn when chaos rises?

Day 2: Sitting When the World Demands Standing

Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet wasn’t laziness—it was rebellion against the tyranny of “productive” busyness. Martha’s service wasn’t wrong, but her distraction diluted her joy. Jesus diagnosed her frazzled heart: good things had eclipsed the best thing. Attention is spiritual warfare. Every notification, obligation, and hurry competes for a throne only Christ deserves. To sit is to declare: “This moment with Him cannot be taken.” [18:00]

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
(Luke 10:41–42, NIV)

Reflection: Where does your attention default when life gets loud? What practical step could help you “sit” with Jesus today?

Day 3: When the Past Loses Its Grip

Paul’s past haunted him—approving murder, hunting Christians, earning accolades through violence. Yet he refused to let shame steer his future. Forgetting isn’t denial; it’s refusing to let yesterday’s failures or wounds hijack today’s freedom. Grace doesn’t erase history but rewires its power over us. Chains break when we stop rehearsing old scripts and start reaching for new mercies. [28:32]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Reflection: What memory or regret still whispers “you’re defined by this”? How might laying it down free you to grasp what’s ahead?

Day 4: Running the Race with Uncluttered Eyes

Paul’s focus wasn’t passive—it was a full-body lean toward Christ. “Pressing on” meant shedding distractions like a runner shedding weights. Spiritual growth isn’t a casual stroll; it’s choosing daily disciplines (prayer, Scripture, community) even when feelings lag. Neutral isn’t an option: we’re either drifting or digging in. The finish line isn’t perfection but persistent pursuit. [31:52]

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:14, NIV)

Reflection: What “weight” is slowing your stride? What one habit could help you fix your eyes more consistently on Jesus?

Day 5: Garbage Compared to Gaining Christ

Paul’s resume—religious pedigree, zeal, moral rigor—crumbled into trash compared to knowing Jesus. Counterfeits lose their shine when we taste the real thing. Yet we still cling to lesser loves: comfort, control, others’ approval. This week’s challenge isn’t to try harder but to sit longer—15 undistracted minutes, asking, “God, make Yourself my deepest delight.” [34:40]

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
(Philippians 3:8, NIV)

Reflection: What “good thing” have you treated as ultimate? How might releasing it create space to cherish Christ more fully?

Sermon Summary

The one thing keeps getting named and named again as the funnel that clears the clutter and zeros in on what matters. Life piles on more: more productivity, more screens, more noise. Desire drifts, attention fragments, focus scatters. The one thing calls a person to whittle down the pack like a pilgrim on the Camino, asking, What do I really need?

David sets the first stake. Psalm 27 does not come from a throne but from threat. Armies surround him and fear breathes down his neck, yet his heart does not scatter. “The one thing I ask of the Lord… to live in the house of the Lord,” he writes. The desire is not a temple lease but nearness. Desire attaches to presence. Augustine’s old prayer names the ache beneath every lesser chase: “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Desire then asks for evidence. Calendars, costs, and first-and-last thoughts tell the truth. Desire without pursuit is only a wish, so David turns longing into direction and makes his heart a compass aimed at God.

Mary shows what attention looks like in a room full of good distractions. Martha’s hospitality is not condemned. Jesus makes a diagnosis, not a dismissal. “My dear Martha… there is only one thing worth being concerned about.” The problem is not serving but a scattered soul. There is a difference between being busy for God and being with God. The author of Hebrews gives the how: “keeping our eyes on Jesus.” Attention is not just a discipline. Attention becomes formation. What a person repeatedly sets before the mind reshapes the mind.

Paul then names focus from chains. “I focus on this one thing.” One motion with two moves runs at once: forgetting what is behind and pressing toward what is ahead. The past for him is no footnote. He had hunted the church and cheered Stephen’s stoning. Grace does not erase history, but it refuses to let history define identity or direction. Repentance turns, not with a shrug but with a 180. Runners do not win by staring over their shoulders. Pressing forward is not a casual stroll. It strains, shows up, opens the Scriptures when feelings lag, stays in community when it is inconvenient, and keeps praying because eyes are fixed on a prize greater than circumstances.

Desire, attention, focus aim together at one center. Paul says it plain: “Everything else is worthless… garbage” compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ. So a simple practice stands: sit like Mary for fifteen unhurried minutes and say, “Lord, I want to want you.” The one thing is not a technique. The one thing is him.

Key Takeaways

1. Desire that becomes direction Desire tells the truth only when it chooses a path and keeps walking it. David’s “one thing” did not float as a feeling; it became a pursuit under pressure. Longing that turns into practice slowly teaches the heart what to love most. [08:43]
2. Attention is spiritual formation What repeatedly holds attention starts shaping a person’s inner world. Mary’s choice names the difference between being busy for God and being with God, and Hebrews gives the how: keep eyes on Jesus. Over time, this steady gaze rewires reflexes, desires, and reactions. [22:55]
3. Grace loosens the past’s grip Paul’s past was heavy and public, yet he learned to stop letting yesterday set tomorrow’s limits. Grace does not minimize sin; it re-centers identity in Christ and frees a person to move. Forgetting, in Paul’s sense, is refusing former labels the final word. [25:30]
4. Pressing forward looks ordinary Forward movement is usually practiced, not flashy: open the Bible when feelings are flat, stay with people when it’s messy, keep praying when answers lag. These small, steady choices stack into a long obedience. The strain is real, but so is the prize. [31:52]
5. Choose fifteen unhurried minutes Silence and attention are not luxuries; they are how love learns to listen. Sitting like Mary names God as the priority without performing for him. Even “I want to want you” is honest enough for God to work with. [34:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:36] - The thing of it is
[01:35] - One Thing series launch
[02:41] - Camino and essentials
[04:28] - Culture of more and drift
[05:29] - Three guides introduced
[07:07] - Question 1 - Desire
[08:43] - David’s one thing in Psalm 27
[11:12] - Augustine and restless hearts
[15:15] - Question 2 - Attention
[18:00] - My dear Martha - one thing
[22:55] - Keep your eyes on Jesus
[24:44] - Question 3 - One focus
[25:30] - Paul forgetting and pressing on
[34:57] - Fifteen minute challenge

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Psalm 27:4 (ESV): One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
- Luke 10:41-42 (ESV): But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
- Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV): Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Observation Questions

In Psalm 27:4, what specific desire does David express, and what was happening in his life when he wrote this?
What did Jesus identify as the “one thing” Martha was missing in Luke 10:41-42, even though her actions seemed good?
According to Philippians 3:13-14, what two actions does Paul combine to maintain his focus?

Interpretation Questions

Why might David’s desire to “dwell in the house of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4) be significant, especially when he was surrounded by enemies? How does this contrast with how people often prioritize their desires under stress?
Jesus said Mary chose the “good portion” (Luke 10:42). What does this imply about the relationship between activity for God and presence with God?
Paul describes “forgetting what lies behind” (Philippians 3:13). How does grace redefine our past failures without erasing them? [28:32]

Application Questions

David’s “one thing” was a pursuit, not just a wish. What practical step could you take this week to turn a spiritual desire (e.g., prayer, Scripture) into a daily habit? [14:33]
Martha’s distraction came from “many things” that were good. What “good” responsibilities or tasks tend to pull your attention away from intentional time with God? How could you reorient your priorities?
Paul pressed forward despite his past. Is there a regret, failure, or label from your past that still defines you? How might focusing on Christ’s grace help you move forward? [29:07]
The sermon challenged listeners to spend 15 unhurried minutes daily with God. What time, place, or practice could help you create space for this? What might make it difficult? [34:57]
How do your calendar, spending habits, or first/last thoughts of the day reveal what you truly desire? What small adjustment could align them more with Psalm 27:4? [12:14]

Sermon Clips

33s

#AttentionShapesYou

“What you give your attention to shapes who you become. I recently read this, this article in my newsfeed. It was about neuroscience and just for the record, I don't do a lot of neuroscience reading, but I came across this article and it actually confirms what scripture has told us. And it's this, that the things that you put your attention on, the things that you consistently kinda center in on literally rewire your brain.”

26s

#EyesOnJesus

“Right? Because you may be asking, hey, I wanna run a life of faith. I wanna strip off the things that slow me down. I wanna give up the sin that kind of entangles me. I want how in the world do I do that? And the author says, we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus. The champion who initiates and perfects our faith. We do it by putting our focus and our attention on him.”

30s

#AllInForChrist

“This isn't a casual stroll towards heaven. This is purposeful and intentional. It's an all in movement towards Christ. And Paul knew something essential in this, that there is no spiritual neutral. We're either pressing in or we're pulling away. We're growing closer or we're growing distant. And the life of an apprentice of Jesus was never designed to simply be static. Like, I'm just kinda getting by. Right?”

36s

#TurnToJesus

“In Jesus Christ, you have been forgiven. When you come and you repent, you familiar with that word? It's not an angry word. It's kinda how it's been played in our culture. It's not an angry word. It literally means I was going this direction and I recognized that that was my choice and that was my sin that directed me. So I I confessed that and I turn from my sin and I turn from my old direction and repent means to turn a 180 degrees and now I'm gonna go towards Jesus.”

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Turlock | Pastor Dave Larson | 06-21-26 | One Thing I Know