Someone once said of Christians, that “our ‘need’ is the most glorious possession we have outside of Christ Himself.”

Many of us spend too much time trying not to be “needy.” Because in the eyes of the world, being needy is a bad thing. The world teaches that we do not need anyone, nor should we. The universal mantra of humanity being, “We got this!”

The Bible teaches that we all need Jesus Christ, for eternal salvation and forgiveness of sins, first and foremost. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)

According to Webster, the word “salvation” means – 1. “preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin or loss.” And – 2. “deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.”

Eternal salvation and deliverance from sin and its consequences are found in Christ alone, according to the Bible. 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

But the beautiful thing about salvation in Christ through faith is that it is an ongoing “salvation” that lasts for all eternity and only begins, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Jesus desires to daily save us in the here and now – from ourselves, from our weaknesses and proclivities, and from the small daily challenges that we face, to the more severe trials and challenges of this life. He desires to preserve us in or deliver us from everyday harm, ruin or loss. 

He wants to pour out His all-sufficient grace on us continually, being our wisdom, knowledge and discernment to make the right decisions. He desires to be our strength enabling us to resist temptations when they come and be our guide as we walk this dusty road of life on our journey toward heaven. 

He longs to be our comfort in times of need, our peace in times of unrest and the love we need, for ourselves and others. He wants to be our rest. He desires to be our all in all. (Colossians 3:11) 

Notice, I did not say that He desires to give us those things; rather, He wants to be those things “in” us, ever keeping company with us.

Unlike an actor in the theater, who works hard to take on the characteristics of the character they portray on stage, as Christians, we are not called to “act like” Jesus. We are called to let Jesus live His life through us moment by moment. 

We do not have to ask ourselves, What would Jesus do?, we must simply be willing to let Him do it in and through us, whatever “it” is. 

Instead of “working hard,” as the actor to take on the characteristics of Jesus, we are called to surrender our lives completely to Him and let Him manifest His characteristics through us on the stage of life.

When someone realizes for the first time, their sinful state, and they believe that Jesus Christ is who He says He is in scripture and when they confess and repent of their sins and ask Jesus to forgive them and come into their heart and be Lord, the Bible says that they are immediately saved for all eternity. 

And at that moment, the Holy Spirit of Jesus comes to live on the inside of them, ever guiding, comforting and strengthening them with His wisdom, knowledge and discernment, peace, love and joy, and so much more.

That is why the most significant thing we can do as Christians is to stay needy of Christ and His all-sufficient grace, ever keeping company with Him.

Are you needy, my friend? I sure hope so.

Here is what Jesus has to say to all of us who are needy:

“Are you tired and worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you will recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I will not lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you will learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30) (MSG)

 Lisa Hannan lives in Valdosta with her husband, attorney Miles Hannan, who has been practicing law in Valdosta for more than 30 years. She has a B.S. in psychology from Valdosta State University. You can find her at www.lisahannan.org.