One Thing

Paul uses the phrase “one thing” to bring focus and clarity to his calling. This phrase appears five times in the Christian Standard Bible Translation — once in the verse above in Philippians and four times in the Gospels:

• Jesus says to Martha, “But one thing is necessary.” (Luke 10:42)
• Jesus tells the rich man that he still lacks “one thing.” (Luke 18:22 and Mark 10:21)
• The blind man who was healed by Christ tells the Pharisees, “One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!” (John 9:25)

As competitors for Christ, the one thing that God desires is for us to focus on Him. The FCA Competitor’s Creed states: “I am a Competitor now and forever. I am made to strive, to strain, to stretch and to succeed in the arena of competition. I am a Christian Competitor and as such, I face my challenger with the face of Christ.”

The one thing that we need to focus on as competitors for Christ is the fact that we have been created in the likeness of God in order to bring glory to Him on and off the field. Anything else takes our focus off the Master.