Kingdom Economy Turns My Need Into Currency

I am self-sufficient. I have it all together. I am never in need of assistance. 

(You can laugh now.)

Whether I choose to admit it or not, I am desperately in need every day of my life. I love the image of control because it makes me forget how much is actually out of my hands. If I can’t do something as small as keeping my dog from barking or perfectly control the pounds that pack onto my body, what needs can I actually meet for myself?

For crying out loud, every breath I take is out of my control. 

In the economy of this planet neediness is a despised thing. But the way Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven reveals a totally different economy, one where neediness is the currency, something to be exchanged for the fullness of Christ. 

Unlike the residents of this world, our heavenly Father will never shame us for being needy and desperate. Instead, He reveals our need as the very starting point of His strength. Paul found this hope in the midst of his desperation, writing: 

 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 

 

Jesus told us to bring our need to him and let him give us rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Peter told us to cast our cares on the One who cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)

David wrote often of how the LORD took his need and gave him strength. He penned Psalm 40 to proclaim exactly what God did for him in his desperate time of need, boldly proclaiming in verse 17, 

 

“As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.”

 

If we fight for sufficiency, we will continually lose the battle. But if we, instead, embrace the fact that we are poor and needy people who can find everything we could ever need in Christ, our lives will be drastically changed. 

Your need is currency – exchange it for everything God promises to be for us.