What Do You Need?

Bad Words, Part Two

Last week we looked at why deserve can be a bad term for disciples of Christ. This week we will look at need, but more specifically, how it is often confused with want.

Usually, when people talk about surviving, the next stage is thriving. As I was considering this post, I wondered if there were more, and I came up with four of them.

• Surviving–Unlike an emergency, for our purposes, the definition needs to be existing somewhere sustainably for an extended period. What is needed is more than water, food, and shelter, and it will vary depending on circumstances.

• Thriving–Building on surviving, thriving has excess which allows for things like stability, security, comfort, entertainment, etc.

• Competing- Building on thriving, competing has excess and a mindset to increase in status. In this stage, you want to live better than other people. These are things like having more money and nicer material things. A wise person will not compete, or they won’t do it for long. What is sometimes said of people who do is, “they have more money than sense.”

• Resting- Building on thriving or competing, this is allowing the work one has already done to sustain them. For most of us, this is retiring.

Because of the Holy Spirit doing work in my life, I am very limited in what I can watch as entertainment. As of right now, the show “Barnwood Builders” is still okay. The show gives you some glimpses of what pioneers had to do to survive in a new area. While it is romanticized today, living in a log cabin was cold, dark, dirty, and cramped. We know of one family who raised 13 kids in a 324 square foot home. In those days, you were looked down upon if you lived that way and these days you would probably have Child Protective Services called on you. I don’t pretend to know all items they needed for sustained survival like tools, basic cookware, etc. but you can be sure it is far less than we would find comfortable.

We need to survive; we want to thrive and possibly compete, and it is important not to confuse need with want.

 I do not spend that much time on social media, but when I tried it out some time ago, I noticed many people posting a link to something and declaring they needed that item or needed that experience. That is dangerous because when you move something from want to need, you prioritize and justify it. It may also interfere with your ability to be content because if you are convinced you need that luxury vacation, you are telling yourself that something critical is missing from your life.

My old computer mouse was over 10 years old, and the software to support some of its features was no longer available. However, it still did the primary functions of a mouse, so there was not a need to replace it. When I feel I honestly need something, and I have the money, I would not hesitate to spend what I eventually spent on my new mouse. For me, it is usually different if it is something I want. There is no hurry. I can buy it today, a year from now, or never. My wife has watched me shop for an outdoor weather station probably once a year for 10 or more years now and because the one I want is also one of the higher priced models, I haven't pulled the trigger. Perhaps if I found one on sale or if they came down in price, I might seriously consider buying one. For now, I will go on without it because I don't need it.

It is also important to use need correctly when reading Scripture like from Philippians 4:19:

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

No matter what prosperity gospel has tried to promise people, God does not offer us everything we want unless what we want is Him, and then He gives us as much as we can handle. He will take care of us and make sure we have what we need to fulfill our purpose.

The more you have, the more you will need to spend

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

We rarely see Matthew 6:19 quoted without verse 20, but verse 19 tells us that the things we possess in this age will deteriorate. This means that things need to be maintained, protected, restored, or replaced.

I have been told that my roof is near the end of its effective usefulness. We have already had it patched to deal with some leaks. Fortunately, our current house is smaller than our previous one because if it had been larger, the cost of the new roof would be even higher. There is no question we need a new roof. The question might be, “did we downsize as much as we could have?”

Having more than you need can have a direct impact on associated costs like taxes, maintenance, and insurance. I know of people who are selling off things like their boats and second homes because they have wisely figured out that they are trapped by their possessions. They are learning to be content with far less and it is reducing their stress and improving their health.

Do not worry. I am not going to guilt you about having excess.

I know of a preacher and his wife that lived very frugal lives and looked down on even middle-class folks as living lavishly. They had an interesting system for not spending money on luxury items. If he wanted something, she gave him grief. If she wanted something, he gave her grief. They were perpetually unhappy people because they thought God wanted them to live as poorly as possible. They would look at Scripture like the first part of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5 or the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-24 and think that God expects us to live poorly.

However, that is taking Scripture out of context. The reason Jesus asked the rich young ruler to sell all of his possessions is made clear by the man walking away. His priority was being rich.

I cannot tell you where to draw your line of having more than you need. However, I believe the Bible helps clear up the confusion.

What a disciple should need is simple

A disciple of Christ is given a single stage of life that supersedes all the ones our culture gives us. The one and only thing we should need is for our lives, actions, and words to bring glory to God. It can be a very inconvenient question, but we should all learn to ask it more often:

How does this bring glory to God?

When we give this an honest answer, it changes how we spend our money and how we live our lives.

What a disciple should want is also simple

As I said in last week’s post,

There is never anything you can gain in this life that is better than Jesus.

I am going to take a page out of Lynn’s playbook and quote a hymn:

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.

I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand

Chorus:

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin's dread sway.

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

(I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

Author: Rhea F. Miller (1922))

It is my prayer that each of us prioritizes bringing glory to God and wanting Jesus more than anything else. May we catch words and thoughts that lie and distract us from our true purpose and delight.

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Scripture used or considered in the writing of "What do you need" by RD Montgomery. All quoted Scripture is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.

Psalm 37:4

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 6:19-20

Matthew 19:16-24

John 4:7-42

John 7:15-18

John 11:1-44 (for this post the emphasis is on verse 4)

1 Corinthians 10:31

Philippians 3:1-11

Philippians 4:18

Colossians 3:17

1 Peter 4:11

1 John 2:15-17