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As we enter into Advent, we find ourselves reflecting on Jesus and what He means to us. Yet, we hear of people who are faced with major, life threatening, health issues. We read of people inflicting terror on innocent neighbors by ignoring decisions of law.

Each day in the news, we hear reminders of the fallen state of our world. We pray for all these great needs. One often wonders what those needs actually are.

A Vital Relationship with Christ

Once we invite Jesus into our hearts, we have a need to build on that act. Think of it as a footing on which we build a foundation of our lives. Billy Graham, as he counseled those who went forward at the end of his preaching services, instructed them to find a church home with Bible-preaching leadership.

A Devotional Life

As children of God, another need is to maintain contact with our LORD through prayer. We thank God for the blessings He gives us. We pray for others as they need His guidance. Have you ever faced a circumstance where you felt the prayers of God’s people?

When children of God are confronted with difficult circumstances, they have a resource to draw from—the Bible. (Psalm 119:105)

Christian Fellowship

God didn’t make us to always fend for ourselves. From time to time, we become involved with others for ministry-prayer, outreach, visitation, community service, and for worship and mutual encouragement. (Hebrews 10:25)

His Guidance

When we face situations we don’t understand, that can possibly escalate into ugliness or will alter lives, we learn to rely upon God to lead us through. (Psalm 23)

Accountability

Early in our Christian walk, we learn we are accountable to God for our behavior; when we sin, we are to confess that sin, apologize to Him, and abide by what He tells us. This is a feature of following God that can, at first, be difficult to practice. But He uses this practice to redeem us.

Very Basic Needs

A lot people, as they get older, realize their basic temporal needs are all met. A gentleman at church told me when he found he needed something; he had the means to purchase it. More and more, we see people who, for whatever reason, can’t do this. Every dollar they receive is designated for a living expense; even the, the money might not be enough to cover the expense.

Sometimes, we have to go back and review what those basic needs are. For all of us, these needs are food, clothing and shelter.

In order to be healthy, we require food to nourish us and our families. We have to keep ourselves and our children safe from the elements, we need proper clothes to do this. Also, it is important to protect our families from the seasonal changes of the weather. We meet this need by providing shelter.

If we have a job or are retired from one, God has given us the means to have those very basic ingredients of temporal life met. One other need we have is transportation. Because we live in a mobile society, we may live several miles from our job and have to have the means to get there. The church of our choice may be some distance away from our home. We may have family living in another state, we may want to visit them or they may want to come home for visits.

Special Needs

Children of God have times when we have special needs. People contract life-threatening illnesses, lose jobs, get behind in bills, or have their homes go into foreclosure. God does provide for our needs; He does this out of His grace and mercy for His children. (Isaiah 43:2)

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

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