Need vs. Want

I was reading Psalm 50 this morning, and it got me thinking about my needs versus wants. This is a pretty big idea, if you think about it. Your needs and wants can be applied to almost every part of life. Initially, everyone thinks about your material needs/wants.

Do you need that extra money to get that extra thing? Do you actually NEED that upgraded computer/car/phone/etc? Or do you WANT all those things? I'm not trying to call anyone out or make anyone feel guilty. I have a lot of "wants" too, and I think it's something that we've been conditioned to do.

But this chapter got me thinking. What do we actually NEED in life? And what do we WANT in life? Aside from basic survival needs, I think we only need one other thing. We NEED God, but many of us don't WANT Him. Ironically, God doesn't NEED us. But He WANTS us.

God always wants to be with us. He cares for us. He "SO LOVED the world" (John 3:16). But He doesn't need us. He doesn't need our money. He can make anything without it. He doesn't need our "talents". They're not that useful compared to what He can do. He doesn't need anything from us. He just wants us. That's it.

It's amazing when you realize that He wants you. He wants your heart. He doesn't care about what you have to offer Him (it's of no use to Him anyway). He just wants you, in your brokenness and flaws.