The One Thing Needed

by David Rush | Sep 6, 2025 | Daily Light

The One Thing Needed

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The One Thing Needed

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” —Luke 10:41–42

The Struggle We Know Too Well

Do you ever feel like life only works if you keep everything in motion? Like you’re juggling responsibilities at work, at home, with family and friends—hoping nothing slips, but feeling valued only when things turn out right?

The harder you try to manage every outcome, the heavier the burden feels. But Scripture shows us again and again: peace doesn’t come from keeping it all together. It comes from placing it in the hands of the One who already does.

Real peace is found not in outcomes, but in Him.

Martha’s Story

When Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha, Martha wanted everything just right. She bustled about, pouring her energy into serving Him. But underneath the activity was a deeper struggle:

She measured her value by the results of her energy, expecting her sister to share the weight of her striving. She felt peace would come only if everything turned out the way she imagined.

Her frustration built as she looked over at Mary, who sat quietly at the Lord’s feet, soaking in His words. How could her sister just sit there while so much needed done? Finally Martha burst out: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40).

Jesus’ reply was gentle, yet piercing: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha thought peace would come from managing every detail. But Jesus showed her that real peace is found not in outcomes, but in Him.

His words to Martha echo His timeless invitation: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28–29).

Sarah’s Story

Centuries earlier, Sarah wrestled with the same drive. God had promised Abraham a son, but years stretched into decades with no child. At last, Sarah decided she had to act. She gave her servant Hagar to Abraham, hoping to “help God out” and secure the promise herself (Genesis 16:1–2).

Her plan worked in one sense—Hagar conceived. But the household was torn with jealousy and bitterness. Sarah’s attempt to manage the outcome created pain in her home and conflict that rippled through generations.

Like Martha, Sarah longed for something good. But she trusted her own effort more than God’s timing, and the result was turmoil instead of peace.

The Thread That Ties Them Together

Both women longed for something good—Martha to honor Jesus, Sarah to see God’s promise fulfilled. But in their striving, they missed the better gift: trust, rest, and presence with God.

From a kitchen in Bethany to a tent in the desert, the pattern is the same: people longing for blessing, but exhausting themselves by trying to manage outcomes.

Martha thought her worth was in her work. Sarah thought God’s promise depended on her plan. Both discovered that striving doesn’t lead to peace.

And both point us to the truth: fulfillment is not found in our effort, our perfection, or our control—it is found in God alone.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” —Psalm 46:10

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” —Isaiah 30:15

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” —Proverbs 3:5

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” —Psalm 127:1

A Word for Us

We, too, measure our worth by outcomes. We expect others to carry our burdens. We juggle responsibilities and press to make things turn out right, believing peace will come once everything is under control.

But Jesus calls us to something better. He invites us to release the weight, to stop expecting others to validate our worth, and to find rest at His feet.

The world says: work harder, manage more, prove your value.
Jesus says: come to Me, abide in Me, dwell with Me.

Reflection

Where in your life are you measuring your worth by results?
Are you expecting others to carry the same weight of striving you feel?
Like Sarah, are you trying to “help God out” instead of trusting His timing?
What would it look like this week to lay it down and simply dwell with Him?

Prayer

Lord, I confess that like Martha, I often measure my value by what I can do, and like Sarah, I sometimes try to make Your promises happen in my own way. Forgive me for projecting my striving onto others and grasping at outcomes that belong to You alone. Teach me to release my grip, to trust Your timing, and to rest in Your presence. You are enough. Amen.

Friend, when life feels out of control, don’t juggle harder. Open your hands. Release what was never yours to carry. Let Him hold what you cannot. Rest at His feet. Trust His timing. Soak in His presence. That’s where peace begins.

Living Stones

by David Rush | Aug 31, 2025 | Daily Light

Living Stones

Daily Light Devotional

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“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” 1 Peter 2:5

Have you ever felt like the world just wants you to fit in a mold—look like everyone else, act like everyone else, never stand out? That’s exactly what bricks represent.

Bricks of Pride

From the very beginning, bricks have been the building blocks of human pride. On the plain of Shinar, the people said, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” With those bricks they set out to build the Tower of Babel—a monument to themselves, declaring, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” (Genesis 11:3–4)

Centuries later, Hebrew slaves in Egypt bent their backs under the hot sun, pressing mud into molds and baking endless bricks for Pharaoh’s temples. Each brick was identical. Each life forced into sameness. Bricks strip away individuality.

Stones of Purpose

But God builds differently. His house was never made of bricks. Solomon’s temple was built of stones—cut, shaped, and polished—yet never identical. Every stone had its own edges, weight, and beauty. Each one was chosen and carefully placed by hand. (1 Kings 6:7)

And that’s exactly what God is doing with you: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)

Shaped by the master mason

The master mason holds your life in his hands. He knows where you belong. With patient love, he chisels and shapes you. Sometimes those hammer strikes hurt. Sometimes his chisel cuts into places you wanted left untouched. In the moment it feels like loss—but he never wastes a strike. He is creating a masterpiece.

Some stones are hidden deep in the foundation, unseen but holding up the entire wall. Others are lifted high, visible for all to admire. But both are equally valuable, equally necessary, equally chosen.

Maybe you feel hidden, unnoticed, or chipped by life’s blows—but God sees you. Every strike of his chisel is shaping you for a place only you can fill.

Your Place in the Wall

That means your suffering has meaning. The chiseling you feel is not punishment—it’s preparation. You don’t have to be like everyone else. In fact, you shouldn’t be. Your uniqueness is not a flaw—it’s God’s design. You are chosen, shaped, and set apart for a place no one else can occupy.

So instead of resenting the chisel, trust the hands that hold it. Instead of wishing you were just another brick in the world’s wall, rejoice that you are a living stone in God’s house—alive, priceless, and perfectly placed in his kingdom.

Will you let the master mason keep shaping you—even in the painful places—so that your life can shine in the exact place he prepared for you?

Scriptures referenced: Genesis 11:3–4; Exodus slavery context; 1 Kings 6:7; 1 Peter 2:5.

Like Jesus

by David Rush | Aug 23, 2025 | Daily Light

Like Jesus

Like Jesus — Audio Reading

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Like Jesus

Sometimes we need to hear the story in Jesus’ own words before we realize how much it speaks to us today.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”
Luke 10:30–33

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was steep and winding, a place where shadows stretched long and danger lurked in the rocks. That’s where he lay—robbed, beaten, and left half-dead. His face was swollen, his lips cracked, his body trembling from blood loss. Every sound made his heart jolt—maybe help was coming… maybe the robbers had returned.

Then—footsteps. A priest. His chest lifted in hope. Surely, if anyone would care, it would be this man of God. But the priest’s eyes slid over him with practiced indifference. A quick glance, then robes gathered tightly as he crossed the road. The wounded man’s fragile hope collapsed into despair.

Not long after, more footsteps. A Levite. Another servant of God. Surely now—surely. But no. His pace quickened, sandals crunching on the opposite side of the path, leaving silence in his wake. The man’s chest shook with a sob he didn’t have strength to finish. Forgotten. Worth less than someone else’s schedule.

And then came the sound of a donkey’s hooves. A Samaritan. An enemy. If the priest and Levite wouldn’t stop, why would he? But this stranger slowed. He saw him. He knelt. His hands were gentle as he poured oil on raw wounds. He lifted the broken body onto his own animal, walked beside him, and paid for his healing.

Jesus told this story not to shame the religious, but to wake us up. It is possible to be so “important,” so busy with spiritual routine, that we step over the very people Jesus calls us to love.

“Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.”
1 John 2:6

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us…”
Ephesians 5:1–2

Living like Jesus is costly. It interrupts. It inconveniences. It pulls us out of our tidy schedules and calls us into someone else’s pain. To follow Him means choosing the harder road—the one where we stop, bend low, and give what we’d rather keep.

But it is also the road of blessing. Every time we cross over to bind up a wound, we find Him there. Every time we give up our comfort, we taste His joy. Every time we choose mercy, we feel His heart beating in ours. The Samaritan didn’t just rescue a broken man—he discovered what it means to live in the likeness of God.

This is the call of Jesus. Not to admire Him from a distance, but to walk as He walked. To show up in love when no one else does. To live with open hands, ready to bind up wounds, notice tears, and carry burdens that aren’t our own. That’s where His life shines brightest through us—and where our own hearts come most alive.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

So—who’s waiting on the side of your road today?

If this encouraged you, would you share it with someone else? You never know whose “road” might be changed because you did.

Never Thirst Again

by David Rush | Aug 16, 2025 | Daily Light

Never Thirst Again

🎧 Never Thirst Again

Click the play button to hear a spoken reading of this week’s featured insight: Never Thirst Again.

Never Thirst Again

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” — John 4:13–14

A Woman, a Jar, and an Ache

The sun was relentless. She shifted the weight of the jar on her shoulder, every step toward the well heavier than the last. Noon was the only safe time to come—when the whispers of the other women were hidden behind closed doors. She carried more than clay. Her jar was filled with shame, with disappointment, with the ache of being used and discarded too many times. One man after another had promised something more, but each left her emptier than before. Without a man, she was nothing. And yet every man had failed her. Her faith? A thin thread at best. Religion had never healed her wounds, never made her whole. Then she saw Him. A man—but not like the others. He didn’t look away. He didn’t leer. And when He spoke, His words were nothing like the words she had known. “Will you give Me a drink?” A Jew. A rabbi. Asking her—a Samaritan woman—for water. But He wasn’t after her body. He wasn’t after her labor. He was after her heart. He came to restore what shame had broken. To reconcile what sin had stolen. To heal the wounds no man had ever touched.

The Conversation That Changed Everything

She didn’t expect Him to know her story. But He did. “Go, call your husband and come back.” Her heart sank. Not this again. That old wound, the one that still bled every time it was touched. “I have no husband,” she replied quickly, hoping the conversation would move on. But He looked at her—not with disgust, not with the hunger of every other man, but with piercing kindness. “You’re right when you say you have no husband. The truth is, you’ve had five husbands, and the man you have now isn’t your husband either.” Every layer of defense crumbled. He saw it all—the failures, the rejection, the shame. All the years she had tried to fill her thirst with men who left her emptier than before. He named it, every broken piece. But here’s the miracle: He didn’t walk away. He didn’t condemn. He stayed. Every other man in her life had wanted her body. This Man wanted her soul. And then, for the first time, she heard words spoken so plainly: “I, the one speaking to you—I am He.” The Messiah. Not an idea. Not a rumor. A living voice, looking straight into her wounds and offering healing instead of shame.

The Same Ache in Us

We may not carry clay jars, but we know her thirst. The emptiness that sends us chasing after approval, busyness, relationships, or success—anything to fill the ache. But no matter how many times we run back to those wells, the jars come up empty. And Jesus still comes. Still waits. Still offers Himself—not just water for the moment, but Living Water that becomes a spring within us.

What It Looks Like in Real Life

Drinking from His Living Water isn’t complicated or mystical. It’s about turning toward Him instead of the empty wells—small sips, steady throughout your day.

Begin the day with Him. Before touching your phone, whisper: “Jesus, I need Your Living Water today.”
Keep His Word close. Carry John 4:14 or John 6:35 with you. Let it remind you that He alone satisfies.
Turn interruptions into invitations. When fear or loneliness hits, pause and pray: “Lord, fill me right here.”
Worship in the ordinary. Folding laundry, driving, cooking—turn those moments into cups lifted toward Him by giving thanks.
Stay rooted in community. Sometimes Living Water flows through a friend’s encouragement or prayer. Don’t carry your jar alone.

His Promise

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” — John 6:35
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” — John 7:37–38
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” — Matthew 5:6

These are not pretty words for a coffee mug. They are lifelines for the thirsty.

Reflection

Where do you usually run when your soul feels dry?
What jars are you still carrying to empty wells?
What small step could you take today to drink more deeply from Him?

Prayer

Jesus, I come thirsty. Forgive me for running to empty wells. Teach me to pause, to open my heart, and to drink deeply of You throughout my day. Be the Living Water that refreshes my soul, and let that overflow into the lives of those around me. Amen.

One Last Question

What if today you set down your empty jar—the striving, the shame, the endless chase—and finally drank deeply of Him?

Ready to take a step?

Pick one practice from “What It Looks Like in Real Life” and do it for 7 days.
Tell a sister what you chose and ask her to check in mid-week.
Share a praise or prayer request with us: Reply in the comments or send a private note.

I’m setting down my jar

When Our Faith Is Shaken

by David Rush | Aug 9, 2025 | Daily Light

When Our Faith Is Shaken

Click the play button to hear a spoken reading of this week’s featured insight: “When Our Faith Is Shaken.”

When Our Faith Is Shaken

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NIV)

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever he does prospers.”

— Psalm 1:3 (NIV)

Some seasons feel like the wind will never stop howling—trials pounding against the windows of our souls, waves crashing at the shoreline of our hearts. We brace ourselves, wondering how much more we can take. The pressure is real, the weight undeniable.

Paul knew this feeling well. He didn’t sugarcoat the reality: hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down. Yet, with every blow, he answered with what the storm could not do—not crushed, not in despair, not abandoned, not destroyed. His courage wasn’t born from perfect circumstances, but from a perfect Savior who never let go.

The psalmist offers us a second picture: a tree planted beside a quiet, unseen river. The storm can bend its branches and strip away some leaves, but its roots drink from a constant source. Even in drought, even in fierce wind, it stands. Its secret isn’t strength in itself—it’s the depth of its connection to the water.

Faith doesn’t mean our knees never buckle or our hearts never ache. It means that when the world shakes us, we still remain. Rooted in Christ. Nourished by His Word. Strengthened by His Spirit. We may bend, but we will not break—because the One who planted us holds us fast.

Prayer

Lord, when the winds of life shake my faith, anchor me deeper in You. Let my roots draw from Your living water so I may stand strong, bear fruit, and reflect Your steadfast love—no matter the storm. Amen.

Reflection — Question

What’s one step you can take this week to “deepen your roots” in Christ so that when the shaking comes, you remain unshaken in Him?

Final Poem

The storm may shake you, but it cannot uproot you.
The wind may strip your leaves, but it cannot steal your life.
For your roots are hidden in Christ,
your strength drawn from the River that never runs dry.

So when the sky darkens and the waves rise,
stand.
Not because you are unbreakable—
but because you are unshakably His.
And when the storm has passed,
you will find new fruit hanging from the very branches the wind once tried to tear away.

Keep Going

Tell us in the comments: How can we pray for you this week? If this encouraged you, share it with a friend who’s weathering a storm.