I Have Needs

Meditate: Acts 2:45

That’s really the catch, isn’t it? So much hinges on that word “needs.” If I’m honest, it’s not really my needs I’m worried about. I’m not lying awake at night afraid that I’ll have to move into a cardboard box under a bridge or start shopping in dumpsters any time soon.

But there is the little issue of (what’s that phrase?) “maintaining the lifestyle to which I’ve become accustomed” or the fear that God will ask me to forego the lifestyle I aspire to. What if (gasp!) God should want me to go through life with less stuff than my neighbors?

We think this is the challenge of 21st Century materialism but it really isn’t. One of the things Jesus told us was that we should let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” “no.” Simply put, say what you mean. Jesus warned that saying more than we mean comes from the Devil. While that may sound harsh, think about it. The Devil, a.k.a. the Father of Lies, a.k.a. the Deceiver-is it any surprise that he’d be involved in confusing language?

So when you need, don’t hesitate to say “need” but when you want, don’t say “need.” (The same thing goes for love and hate. As my girls are prone to remind me, we love God and other people. We like or prefer things. And they’ll tell you that hate’s just a really strong word that should be rarely used.)

I need shelter. It’s kind of breezy around here for a tent and a shack won’t pass code so I can even say I need something permanent. But since you’re asking, I’d prefer…Well, you get the idea.

Now, none of this makes wants or preferences evil. It’s just important that we recognize them for what they are. Wants are the bait that can lead us into places where we’re not sure how to find our way home. Wants are usually what maxes out our credit cards. It’s our wants that most often lead us into the kind of debt that feels like bond-slavery. And the idea that slavery like that really brings freedom? Now that is evil.

• Am I “needs driven,” “wants driven,” or “God driven?”
• How do my wants look to God?

Pray:
Praise: You are Truth, there is nothing false or empty about You.
Confess: I am torn between fear for my needs and greed for my wants.
Thank: You have always taken care of my needs.
Ask: May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.

Digging Deeper: Matthew 5

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