Must Haves

Long before the beginning of December the shops are full of Christmas goods. So often you notice things that the sellers say we "must have", making us feel we will be missing out on something very special if we don't get it. Very often of course, we don't need the shops to tell us what we 'must have'. We are good at deciding for ourselves — there are all sorts of things we think we must have. If we see someone with the latest fashion or with some new gadget it's easy to decide that we must have it. But do we really need it?

There is a dividing line between what we want (must have) and what we need. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need. As Jesus said, he knows what we need before we ask him and he will help us get what we need. God also knows what we want (must have?) and he challenges us to take a good look at ourselves and ask 'do I really need that?'

As Christians I think it is right for us to take seriously the challenge of how we live. Our lifestyle is a testimony to the way we trust God and have a caring attitude to other people, especially to the many needy people in the world around us or in other parts of the world. If we keep getting' must haves' we will have nothing left to give to the 'have-nots'!

Prayer

Give us eyes to see the needs of others, dear Lord, and a generous heart. Amen.