And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Dr. Steve Sjuggerud, editor of True Wealth (whose philosophy is: “Buy assets of great value when no one else wants them…and sell them when others will pay any price”) wrote these words in a blog that I read:

“My secret to success is figuring out the One Critical Thing… and investing accordingly.

Most aspects of life have at least One Critical Thing that’s the key to success. (Some things have two or more Critical Things.) The trick is finding that One Critical Thing and sticking with it.

Take golf, for example… golf has a few Critical Things, like:

1. Don’t swing too hard/keep your head still.

​2. Don’t take big risks.

If you simply do these two things, you can become an extremely good golfer. I’m sure of it.

Finding that One Critical Thing can bring you a bit of peace and clarity. Most people get bogged down by too much noise and advice, and most of it is not that helpful. When you start to feel bogged down and overwhelmed, just return to the Critical Things. Chances are you’ll come out ahead.

Human nature is a funny thing, though…Even when we know these Critical Things…even when they are obvious…we still want to fight them. Go back to the golf example. We want to bend these rules, test them, take them to their limits, and ultimately break them. We want to think that this time is different. It is not.

So what I want to find are these Critical Things–both in the markets and in life.

The way I make the biggest money–by far–is when human nature gets in the way…when people think the Critical Thing no longer matters. When I see people forgetting about what matters, I simply bet that the Critical Thing will end up mattering after all.”

He cites some examples of how this focus on The One Critical Thing worked out well for him. When everyone was investing in real estate in the mid 2000’s, he invested in gold coins instead and came out way ahead while real estate investors got clobbered. In 2008, when the stock market was crashing, he took out a home-equity loan and bought stocks instead which promptly doubled in value. Similarly, when the housing market in Florida was flat, he bought properties at rock-bottom prices which are now listing for 5 times what he paid for them.

As I read his words, Holy Spirit reminded me of how true this is in church life. The One Critical Thing for every church is “to make disciples of the nations.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

When a congregation is growing numerically and flourishing financially, it is easy to ignore this Great Commission given by Jesus and focus on simply maintaining what we’ve gained.

When a congregation is dwindling in numbers and languishing in finances, it is difficult to invest in evangelism as the focus shifts to do all that we can to not lose what we’ve still got left.

Dr. Sjuggerud’s post reminds us how important it is for us to know The One Critical Thing that is absolutely essential for us to advance into our destiny.

After much trial and error, many wrong turns and misguided decisions, I have finally identified The One Critical Thing for my life and ministry. Are you ready for it?

It is called Taking Time to Sit at Jesus’ Feet and Simply Listen, as Mary did when Jesus came to visit her and Martha. When I do this consistently, I make the right choices at the right time and make progress. When I ignore this and simply go by what my flesh dictates or the circumstances demand, I regress and end up with regret.

How about you, dear DWOD friend? Do you know what The One Critical Thing is for you? Would you kindly share it with the rest of us?