Needs Versus Wants
What do you actually need to survive today?
Verse of the Day
“But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
Today’s Devotional
Not a house. Not a bed. Not a car (or horse or chariot). Not friends. Not family. Contentment with the most basic of basic needs.
So let’s imagine for a moment that each of us only has food and clothing and none of the other things I just listed. Would you be content? Not in America, you wouldn’t. So what does that say about us?
We have taken “wants” and made them “needs”. I would go one step farther and say that we have made demands of God and the people around us about what we “need” to even have a base level of satisfaction. I find that very convicting. It makes me ask myself how I could ever be dissatisfied. There is a little sign hanging in the bathroom of my sister’s house that reads, “Contentment is not in getting what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” Reading this verse and thinking about that sign makes me realize that maybe contentment can be found in counting my blessings.
Nothing in this world is ever going to be perfect. And this goes back to my comment yesterday that perhaps contentment is a matter of perspective. If we live in a broken and imperfect world, am I focusing on the imperfections? Or am I focusing on the blessings?
Every single thing I have is a result of God’s blessings. I know that each of us works hard for what we have, but all of the talents, abilities, work ethic, and discipline are from God. Case in point: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” (James 1:17) So even the things I have worked for and saved for and purchased are gifts from God.
Let’s go back to the basic needs that are listed in this verse. What if we asked ourselves each day, “What do I really need today?” There is a beauty and simplicity in stripping away our wants to expose what our actual needs are. Imagine spending time with a person who has no desires other than basic necessities. That person would be very pleasant to be around. Contrast that thought with being around a really needy person who never seems to be satisfied. Which type of person does God think I am ?
I think God is showing me the need for simplicity in my desire to find true contentment in Him. I think there is power in exposing a supposed “need” as being a “want”. There is always power in exposing a lie to the Light and Truth. But we have to be willing to take the time to think about those kinds of things.
I wanted to write and study this topic because I was really struggling with not having much contentment. God has exposed in my heart some things that are not my burdens to carry. He has allowed me to turn those things over to Him, which has lightened my spirit. And every time I try to pick those burdens up again, God reminds me that they are His burdens, not mine. (This happens a lot.)
I leave you today with a couple more verses that speak to my heart on this subject. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. ” (Phil 4:19) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20)
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What have you considered “needs” that are actually “wants”? How can you simplify that list?
How does gratitude increase your contentment?
What wants or desires do you need to release?
Make a gratitude list today of all of the things that God has given you to enjoy.
Are you willing to ask God to help you be content with exactly what you have right now?