One Thing

Gtcotr/ss120714

Luke 18:22  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

The young rich ruler wanted everything except one thing …

Today marks the 73^rd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941. More than 2400 people, (2335; 2403; 2500), lost their lives that day in the unprovoked early morning (7:55am) raid that woke the sleeping giant and brought America to the forefront of WWII.

On the same day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor they also attacked Guam, Wake Island, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Thailand. While Emperor Hirohito was exercising his aggressive belief that Japan was to be ruler of the world, halfway around the globe Germany’s Hitler had already been hard at work to make every person and everything fit the picture of his idea of perfection. All either of them wanted was everything.

As a result of 2 men wanting everything, except one thing, WWII claimed the lives of an estimated 72,468,900 lives of which an approximate 34 million were innocent civilians who never chose to enter the war. (http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/world-war-2-statistics.asp)

What led/motivated these 2 men to attack an innocent world … it was because they wanted everything. When people will do anything to get everything they end up with nothing. The young rich ruler of Luke 18 wanted everything but he lacked the one thing that could give him everything … From the Roman Empire to Bernie Madoff, from Hitler to Hirohito - Those who want everything without having the one thing end up with nothing.

Everything does not belong to man … Everything belongs only to God. And, God gives what He wills to whom He wills – nobody takes anything from God. However, God is willing to give us everything …

How can we get everything given to us from God’s own hand? All we need is “One Thing!” What do you want for Christmas? Let’s look at One Thing.

Matthew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

This scripture is taken from a passage in Matthew which records Jesus speaking to the multitudes on a hillside in the Galilee. Jesus had just made a statement which needed some clarification. The statement Jesus is clearing up is found in verse 24:

Matthew 6: 24  No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

The bad news is that no person can have more than one master but the good news is that we get to choose which master we will serve.

·        The Young Rich Ruler of Luke 18 chose money and possessions to be his master. He imagined it was everything and indeed it was everything to him. Why then did he end up with nothing?

·        Hirohito chose aggression and world domination as his master. He served this master because it was everything to him.

What means everything to you? What or Who will you serve?

Just a bit of advice from a near 60 year old man … Don’t try to get anything, let alone everything you want, without Jesus. What are you trying to do without Jesus? Remember last Sunday’s word: “If you can get Jesus to help you, you can do anything!” But:

If you try to get everything without the one thing, you will end up with nothing …

If you will Make Jesus the “One Thing” and God will give you everything you need

Now that’s a Merry Christmas! (James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift …)

Additional Notes of Interest:

One day before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor with 420 airplanes, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent the following message to the Showa Emperor of Japan. (Source: Dept. of State Bulletin, Vol. V, No. 129, Dec. 13, 1941)

Release Date: 12/06/1941

Message From the United States President
to the Emperor of Japan
December 6, 1941

 The following message from the President to the Emperor of Japan was dispatched Saturday afternoon, December 6, and public announcement was made at that time that this message to the Emperor had been sent by the President:

Almost a century ago the President of the United States addressed to the Emperor of Japan a message extending an offer of friendship of the people of the United States to the people of Japan. That offer was accepted, and in the long period of unbroken peace and friendship which has followed, our respective nations, through the virtues of their peoples and the wisdom of their rulers have prospered and have substantially helped humanity.

Only in situations of extraordinary importance to our two countries need I address to Your Majesty messages on matters of state. I feel I should now so address you because of the deep and far-reaching emergency which appears to be in formation.

Developments are occurring in the Pacific area which threaten to deprive each of our nations and all humanity of the beneficial influence of the long peace between our two countries. Those developments contain tragic possibilities.

The people of the United States, believing in peace and in the right of nations to live and let live, have eagerly watched the conversations between our two Governments during these past months. We have hoped for a termination of the present conflict between Japan and China. We have hoped that a peace of the Pacific could be consummated in such a way that nationalities of many diverse peoples could exist side by side without fear of invasion; that unbearable burdens of armaments could be lifted for them all; and that all peoples would resume commerce without discrimination against or in favor of any nation.

I am certain that it will be clear to Your Majesty, as it is to me, that in seeking these great objectives both Japan and the United States should agree to eliminate any form of military threat. This seemed essential to the attainment of the high objectives.

More than a year ago Your Majesty's Government concluded an agreement with the Vichy Government by which five or six thousand Japanese troops were permitted to enter into Northern French Indo-China for the protection of Japanese troops which were operating against China further north. And this Spring and Summer the Vichy Government permitted further Japanese military forces to enter into Southern French Indo-China for the common defense of French Indo-China. I think I am correct in saying that no attack has been made upon Indo-China, nor that any has been contemplated.

During the past few weeks it has become clear to the world that Japanese military, naval and air forces have been sent to Southern Indo-China in such large numbers as to create a reasonable doubt on the part of other nations that this continuing concentration in Indo-China is not defensive in its character.

Because these continuing concentrations in Indo-China have reached such large proportions and because they extend now to the southeast and the southwest corners of that Peninsula, it is only reasonable that the people of the Philippines, of the hundreds of Islands of the East Indies, of Malaya and of Thailand itself are asking themselves whether these forces of Japan are preparing or intending to make attack in one or more of these many directions.

I am sure that Your Majesty will understand that the fear of all these peoples is a legitimate fear inasmuch as it involves their peace and their national existence. I am sure that Your Majesty will understand why the people of the United States in such large numbers look askance at the establishment of military, naval and air bases manned and equipped so greatly as to constitute armed forces capable of measures of offense.

It is clear that a continuance of such a situation is unthinkable.

None of the peoples whom I have spoken of above can sit either indefinitely or permanently on a keg of dynamite.

There is absolutely no thought on the part of the United States of invading Indo-China if every Japanese soldier or sailor were to be withdrawn therefrom.

I think that we can obtain the same assurance from the Governments of the East Indies, the Governments of Malaya and the Government of Thailand. I would even undertake to ask for the same assurance on the part of the Government of China. Thus a withdrawal of the Japanese forces from Indo-China would result in the assurance of peace throughout the whole of the South Pacific area.

I address myself to Your Majesty at this moment in the fervent hope that Your Majesty may, as I am doing, give thought in this definite emergency to way of dispelling the dark clouds. I am confident that both of us, for the sake of the peoples not only of our own great countries but for the sake of humanity in neighboring territories, have a sacred duty to restore traditional amity and prevent further death and destruction in the world."