CURLY

How many of you remember “Curly”?  If you ever saw the Billy Crystal movie, City Slickers, you met Curly.  He was the trail boss on the cattle drive.  Curly was a cowboy philosopher.  Curly, played by Jack Palance, advises Billy Crystal, who is in the middle of a mid-life crisis.  Curly keeps talking about “the one thing” that is most important in life. You never find out what he was referring to and Curly dies from a heart attack, about in the middle of the movie.  At the end of the movie, Billy Crystal’s character returns home, having realized his “one thing”, is his family.

I had not thought about this movie until tonight as I was reflecting on yesterday’s sermon from Philippians 3:11-14:

¹¹If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. ¹²Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. ¹³Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

¹⁶Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Paul had “one thing”.  What was his “one thing”?  Paul’s “one thing” was,” forgetting those things, which are behind”, a past that included hunting down and killing Christians.  If Paul can forget his past, do think we can and should.  You can’t change your past, whether it be, very negative and painful, or very good.  The past is past!  Forget it!  We can’t live in the past; but we can learn from it.

You say, “I can’t, it hurts too much”.   Biblical “forgetting” is not, not remembering.  God forgets our sins; but, he still knows about them.  He does not have selective amnesia.  He is all knowing; but He chooses to act as if they never happened.  They do not affect Him.  We must do the same!  Do not let the past affect or influence you.  We must decide to not let it affect us as, we focus on the future, on “the one thing”’, our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Paul’s “one thing” included his present and future.  It meant reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It is easier to understand if you read it from The Message paraphrase:

So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!

He was single-minded, focused on “the one thing”.  Compare this to Martha, Mary’s sister.  Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to His words, while Martha was busy serving food. Jesus rebuked Martha:

“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Compare this to Christ message in Revelations to the church in Pergamos: “I have a few things against thee”.

Or, the church in Thyatira: “I have a few things against thee”.

When Christ returns will He commend us for our single-minded focus on Him or will He say: “I have a few things against thee”.

Which will it be?  What is your "one thing"?