A few days ago while studying my Sunday school lesson, I read in the writer’s commentary his list of three critical needs of mankind. His commentary was related to Hezekiah, but I want to look at these needs in a different way.

The first need that we will discuss is our need for something meaningful to do. God demonstrated this when He put man in the Garden of Eden and told man to dress it and keep it. In the 55 years I have been in the ministry I have observed many people, among whom some were in trouble. Many of those in trouble are so because they have nothing meaningful to keep them occupied. T here are about 150 references to words such as workers, workman, working, etc. This tells me that God clearly intended that we should stay busy!

The second need is to have someone to LOVE who will love us in return. God, it the Ten Commandments, commanded us to love God first. Romans 5:8 says that, “God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Probably the most memorized verse of scripture is John 3:16 that says, “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.” A number of other scriptures require that we love one another, love our neighbors as Christ has loved us. The apostle Paul taught that we should love those who are of the household of faith (the church) – some of us have not yet learned this one lesson.

The third need is for a true hope in which to believe and put our trust. I have already mentioned John 3:16 which gives us the true hope. First Corinthians 15:19 says, “If in this present life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” In other words, if our hope and trust dies in this life, we have no hope; but our hope actually only begins with the faith we have now and is fully manifest in our life that begins with the resurrection and continues throughout eternity. That is real hope! The second reason it is the real hope is that Christ alone provides and guarantees it. It is not available from any other source.

I ask you: Do you possess that HOPE? Christ died for all of us and guarantees forgiveness and hope for everyone who believes.

Graham Tucker