{"id":548,"date":"2010-05-21T07:28:49","date_gmt":"2010-05-21T14:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/?p=548"},"modified":"2010-06-11T11:32:12","modified_gmt":"2010-06-11T18:32:12","slug":"the-one-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/site-news\/the-one-thing","title":{"rendered":"The One Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember the movie \u00e2\u20ac\u0153City Slickers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em>? Three guys facing middle age and accompanying crises, wanting to reassess their lives, <\/span>embark on a two week cattle drive \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a sort of hyper-dude-ranch, real cowboy<\/em> experience for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccity slickers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. During the drive, one city slicker, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMitch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> rides along with tough as nails cowboy \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCurly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, and Curly shares with Mitch the secret to life, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> Once you find the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> in life, nothing else matters.<\/p>\n

In the real world, however, Curly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s philosophy on life (which, incidentally, is about as good as one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s philosophy on life can get if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the real \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em>) falls short. But Curly was right about one thing \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there really is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> that is the key to how you experience every other thing, good or bad, in life.<\/p>\n

Last week I told you that I was going to share with you over the coming weeks twelve keys to a truly successful life. And I told you that, push come to shove, only two were absolutely essential to making our time here on earth mean anything. But out of those two, the first thing, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> drives and shapes every other aspect of our lives, every other element of our experience. The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> is the only thing ultimately that will determine whether or not our lives can be counted as a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsuccess\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em>from an eternal perspective.<\/p>\n

So, as Mitch inquired of Curly, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n

About two thousand years ago a group of religious leaders asked Jesus the same question.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/sup>Jesus replied: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00ef\u00bb\u00bf <\/sup>This is the first and greatest commandment.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Matthew 22:36-38)<\/p>\n

You probably already knew that, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you? After the big build up about the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> telling you something you already knew might seem kind of anti-climactic. Even though you know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m right, that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> really is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; maybe you were hoping for something newer or fresher \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or maybe just something easier.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem. Everybody is always looking for a newer, flashier \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcone thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what the success and human potential gurus trade in \u00e2\u20ac\u201c trying to convince us that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a newer, sexier, flashier, easier \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcone thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, and we can buy it from them. But there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been around a long time and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very costly, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not for sale.<\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still thinking that, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em>; although a lovely Bible verse, is a little abstract as a declaration from which to gauge the success of your existence, let me tell you the whole story.<\/p>\n

When Jesus answered the religious leaders, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> He was quoting what Moses had told the children of Israel some 1300 years earlier, just before they were to enter the Promised Land. He had just given them the ten rules for a successful life in the Land and now he was giving them the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> from God \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the single rule that would make the other ten possible and meaningful. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Deuteronomy 6:5)<\/p>\n

I keep quoting that rule because I want it to sink in, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not doing it justice. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m writing and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reading in English, but Moses and Jesus didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak English. The language of Moses was Hebrew and Jesus spoke in Aramaic (his words were recorded in Greek) and the language in which they originally communicated this \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> went a little deeper than the English words we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re using to translate them today. Let me take it apart for you.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLove\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the Hebrew word Moses used was \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcahab<\/em>. It means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcto have an affection<\/span> based on a close relationship, sometimes in comparison to other persons with a lesser relationship \u00e2\u20ac\u201c have a desire<\/span> for \u00e2\u20ac\u201c focus on a preference<\/span> of one thing over another. Jesus gave deeper meaning to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord <\/span>your God,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> when he answered the religious leaders by using the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcagapao\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. Agapao<\/em> goes beyond affection into the will. Agapao<\/em> is a love of attention and action; it spurs us to focus our attention<\/span> and will<\/span> on the One we love and act <\/span>on behalf of that love.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLord you God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLord\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYahweh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew – is a euphemism for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAdonai,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> the personal name of <\/span>the one true God \u00e2\u20ac\u201c this name focuses on two attributes of God, His sure existence and His relationship with a chosen people. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcElohim\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the object of worship, the one true God<\/span><\/em> as opposed to lesser gods.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcall\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dck\u00c3\u00b4l\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew; \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcholos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek; \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccompletely, the totality of any mass.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean on \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcjust on Sunday\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> and it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean \u00e2\u20ac\u02dca big part of my life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; it means every atom of my body and every moment of my consciousness. It means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcall<\/span>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcheart\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclebab\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew; \u00e2\u20ac\u02dckardia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. This is the innermost organ \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the core that pumps lifeblood into the human body. This is the very center and essence of everything thing that makes us human beings; our thoughts, our feelings, our choices.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsoul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcnephesh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew; \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpsuche\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. This is the vitality and essence of life \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it is the thing that departs when one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body dies. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcNephesh\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> has its roots in \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbreath\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; as when God \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbreathed\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> life into Adam \u00e2\u20ac\u201c literally \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe breath of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> Your soul is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> part of your being; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what allows you to be a child of His and what lifts you above the animals, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what puts you accountable to the God that breathed it into you. Whatever choice you make in this life, your soul will enjoy (or be left holding the bag) in the next.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcstrength\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmeh-ode\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Hebrew; Jesus used the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdian\u00c5\u008fia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmind\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. The closest English word we have to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmeh-ode\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> is \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcvehement\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcshowing or arousing intense feeling.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty close in meaning to the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcviolent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe exercise or production of very great force.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> The closest picture I can give you for the proper meaning of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmeh-ode\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> is that of a pot of water at full boil or an Olympic athlete at the precise moment of his most intense effort. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDian\u00c5\u008fina\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, the word Jesus used, is everything that encompasses your deepest thoughts, imagination and understanding \u00e2\u20ac\u201c your entire mental capacity.<\/p>\n

If I was going to re-write \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> in the Steve Amplified Version<\/em> it would go something like this:<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You shall have a relationship with, a preference and affection for, above everything and everyone else, the Lord, the one true, surely existing God, Who has chosen you to have a relationship with Him. And this love, affection, preference, relationship shall be with every atom of your being \u00e2\u20ac\u201c everything that makes you fully human and with every ounce of life God has breathed into you, with your entire body, mind and will and with your entire soul \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the part of you that inhabits your body and goes with you into eternity. And you shall demonstrate this love, this relationship, this affection in every fiber of your will, your effort, your energy, attention and focus. You will live out this love to the very pinnacle of your possibility.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n

Wow! That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty radical.<\/p>\n

Yup. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to be.<\/p>\n

Like I said, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s very costly, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not for sale.<\/p>\n

Everything else in your life \u00e2\u20ac\u201c your own desires, your spouse, your children, your parents, your job, your status, your possessions \u00e2\u20ac\u201c everything else \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is subject to and seen through the lens of this one single relationship. This first and greatest commandment from God is the primary building block of human existence \u00e2\u20ac\u201c your existence \u00e2\u20ac\u201c as it was meant to be. Get this \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> right and everything else follows along like the cars of a train.<\/p>\n

Next week we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll cover the second \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcessential\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> key to a truly successful life. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s related to the first (isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t everything?). Jesus said that if you got the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> right and got the second thing right \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even if everything else in your life went wrong \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d still be considered a success in His eyes. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretty cool.<\/p>\n

Until next week \u00e2\u20ac\u201c focus on the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOne Thing.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/p>\n

Goodnight Curly,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Remember the movie \u00e2\u20ac\u0153City Slickers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? Three guys facing middle age and accompanying crises, wanting to reassess their lives, embark on a two week cattle drive \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a sort of hyper-dude-ranch, real cowboy experience for \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccity slickers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. During the drive, one city slicker, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMitch\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rides along with tough as nails cowboy \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcCurly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, and Curly shares with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,16,1,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agape","category-love","category-site-news","category-success"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/548\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}