What is human’s greatest need? Food, friend, love, money? Yes, we need food when hungry, friend when lonely, love when gloomy, and money when needy – we also need rest when weary. All of these are our physical needs while we live here on earth. But, we are not living just to eat, play, work, and build a family, are we? Do we really have a deeper (or greater) need in this life?

Suppose you have all your needs: good food every day, good friends, good family, decent job, and so on. What else do you need? Yes, you want to keep them all with you. You don’t want to lose any of them. You want a stable and continuous life. You want unending peace and happiness. You want all the good things in your earthly life to be with you forever. But… would that be possible? Would you not die someday? When our time has come, would we even bother thinking about all those physical needs?

Because life on earth is not eternal, our greatest need should not be temporal. Regardless of our social position or reputation, we all need (an assurance of) salvation. When we are going to watch a movie in theatre, we need to secure the seat by having the ticket. When we are going to travel by flight (or train), we need to make sure that the seat is reserved for us. We know that life is a journey. This world is not our home, nor our final destination. Billy Graham once said, “My home is in heaven. I’m just travelling through this world.” If for the earthly matters, we need an assurance for temporary security, would we not even need a greater assurance for our everlasting security in the life to come? But… is there such assurance or certainty for our future destination?

The good news is: yes, there is!

If the Heavenly Father has already promised that there is truly an assurance of salvation, that is going to meet our greatest need, would we believe it? Where can we find a such wonderful promise? Here is the answer:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

(Romans 1:16-17)

Gospel is the good news about Christ the Savior. It is the revelation and the manifestation of God’s truth that gives hope to humanity for the afterlife. We are made righteous before God by faith, not by our own works, because God wants us to totally rest in His mighty power, not to restlessly rely on our own strengths. We can never save ourselves; we need to acknowledge that only the Life Giver is mighty to save the life He’s given.

Our greatest need is not food, friend, love, money, rest, or even family – because none of them are the greatest. We all deserve not just something better or something greater, but we deserve the greatest. That is why our greatest need is Him, the Greatest One. The greatest need of all is to need the Greatest, the greatest fulfillment of all is to be fulfilled by the Greatest.

A reflection on Sunday night,

Vancouver, March 24, 2019