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The One True Thing: What Is Worthy of Your Lifelong Devotion?
What is the one thing you most deeply desire?
Howard Baker says we all long for a single devotion. Yet most often, our lives are fragmented, torn between competing desires, demands, and responsibilities. As a way to answer our deep need, we throw ourselves into work or activities or addictions. But devotion to a job, to a possession, or even to a person is not worthy of the human heart, says Baker. He leads us toward an earnest pursuit of “the one true thing” that simplifies and brings all the scattered pieces of our lives into focus.
In The One True Thing, Howard Baker says that every human yearning at its core is a desire for God, and God is calling out to us through our daily scrambles to control life. The pursuit of God is the one true thing that simplifies and integrates all other things. In this small book that addresses the largest of themes, the author uses great writers of the past and biblical stories to guide us through three stages of pursuing seeking, choosing, and ultimately valuing Him above all else.
Howard Baker says we all long for a single devotion. Yet most often, our lives are fragmented, torn between competing desires, demands, and responsibilities. As a way to answer our deep need, we throw ourselves into work or activities or addictions. But devotion to a job, to a possession, or even to a person is not worthy of the human heart, says Baker. He leads us toward an earnest pursuit of “the one true thing” that simplifies and brings all the scattered pieces of our lives into focus.
In The One True Thing, Howard Baker says that every human yearning at its core is a desire for God, and God is calling out to us through our daily scrambles to control life. The pursuit of God is the one true thing that simplifies and integrates all other things. In this small book that addresses the largest of themes, the author uses great writers of the past and biblical stories to guide us through three stages of pursuing seeking, choosing, and ultimately valuing Him above all else.
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 12, 2019
One thing bothered me about THE ONE TRUE THING. In one section we are encouraged (by Kierkegaard) to live a life so dedicated to God that we wouldn't need to pray anymore. In a later section we are to make prayer a vital part of our walk. I understand that the book is, in one sense, a compilation of how various believers found lifelong devotion to Christ. I think it is important to point out, however, that Paul instructs us to "pray without ceasing" and that our spiritual armor includes "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." So, the Kierkegaard reference confuses. That said, I enjoyed the book and was challenged to look at my walk from various new perspectives.
January 25, 2022
Pretty good book. It is well organized and has some excellent points. The stories were about different people who had been able to focus on God as the one true thing. While narrowly applicable to the topic, some of them were maybe a bit out of touch to real life.
April 9, 2015
Fantastic book. Highly recommend. Helpful scriptural wisdom about keeping Jesus front and center of all I say, do, think, believe, hope for.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews