Tag Archives: Need

Realizing our Need

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What is the first step in our walk with God?  It can be a variety of things.  For some of us, its beautiful.  When we see something beautiful in life, we are reminded that there is beauty in life and God is that thing that is beautiful.

Perhaps it is passion. Maybe we feel God move in some powerful way and we want to be a part of that.  We want to know that thing that is deeper and bigger and more alive.

In so many ways, those that thing that draws us to Him is this.  Need.  We realize that in some deep way, we need Him.  There is a need, there is a gap, there is something that is missing in our lives.  Realizing that many times is that first step towards Him.  Look at what happens today, through in Mark 10:17-22:

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments:”You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”‘ 20He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

reachReading this today, this is what jumped out to me.  First, the man comes up to Jesus and calls Him good.  Notice Jesus’ response.  No one is good but God.  Now, Jesus is a good and holy and God Himself.  So He had every right to properly receive that title of “good.”  But he acted with humility.

The man asks Jesus what he had to do to enter the kingdom.  Jesus give a bunch of commands and the guy says – I’ve kept all these since my youth.  In other words, I’m awesome.  I’m pretty holy.  I am good.

See the contrast?  Jesus passed on the glory to God, and the man says, nope.  I’ve got this down pat.  I’m got it, it, I’m good.

He didn’t see that he needed God.  Coming to God is not about “doing” more, it’s about realizing that we need Him.  And when we realize that we need Him, He will give Himself to us.  But we can’t receive Him until we know that we need Him.

The man in the story thought he needed to do more and that he could do it one his own.  So Jesus told him to do something that he couldn’t do on his own; something he could only do through God. And he couldn’t do that.

Because he couldn’t do it.  Not on his own.  Only thought God could he do it.

He didn’t realize that he needed God.  And so he walked away shocked.

Because he didn’t realize his need for God.

He thought he had it.

May we not make that same mistake today!  May we realize our need for God, and may we understand just how He will meet those needs.

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We Need Each Other

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We are all connected to each other. Through Christ, we are connected.

He is my Father. And if you are His, you are His child as I am. That makes him your Father as well.  And if He’s your Father, that makes us family. That makes us siblings. We need each other. We are connected. That’s just the way that it is.

None of us were made to walk this path of life alone.  None of us were made to walk it without someone beside us.

No matter how unworthy you may feel.  No matter how little you may feel.  No matter how unimportant you may feel.  You matter.  You are important.  You are important to God, important to the Body of Christ, important to us all.

You matter.  You do.  No matter where you are, we need you.  Listen to what Paul says today in 1 Corinthians 12:21-26:

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Every part of the body is important. The hand. The foot. Each matters.  Each is vital.  Each is needed.

As it is with us. We matter. Each of us matters. To God. To the church. To each other. And, we need each other.

To love each other. To hold each other accountable. To help each other. To challenge each other. To grow each other. To disciple each other.

We are a body. We are family.  We need each other.

Today, is my deepest prayer that you are plugged in somewhere where you know that and you feel that.  That you know that you matter. That you know that you are needed. That you know that you belong.

Today, you matter.  Today, you belong. Today, in Christ, are you family. Today, we need each other.  May we not live along.  May we love, plug in, help, and care for each other.

We are part of a body, Christ’s body.  May we never forget that we need each other.

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