As someone who likes gadgets but doesn't possess the money (nor the real need) to have many of them, I love to look online at Craigslist at all of the electronic gizmos that people are selling everyday. There are iPhones and iPods, stereos, cameras, GPS systems, etc., and that's just on the electronics page. The prices are usually pretty good although much of what is sold is pretty junky (hint: If you wish to sell your TV, try taking a picture of it when your cat is not perched on top of it).
Something that often surprises me as I scan some of the offers on the site is the reasoning listed for why the seller is selling the item in the first place. They don't have to give a reason why they are selling but many do and the most common explanation is a desperate need for money. Just today I saw at least 3 items that needed to be sold ASAP because of a payment that was due in the immediate future. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not judging these people for having a financial need, but I'm not really going to consider selling my own iPhone for $200 to pay off emergency bills. Maybe the fact that they own the iPhone in the first place is a sign that their money management skills aren't all that hot to begin with.
Throughout my own life I've been desperate for a lot of things. Early in my childhood I was diagnosed with a heart defect that almost completely kept me off of competitive playing fields, so I was desperate to prove my athletic prowess in other ways. During my high school and college years I was desperate to fit in. As I got older and was still single, I desperately hoped that I would meet the woman of my dreams, which I did am now happily married to 10+ years later.
In my walk with Christ I want to be desperate for Him. In Romans 1:1 and 15-16, the apostle Paul describes himself as a slave for Christ and his sole aim in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus and to do so without compromise. His is an example of a man who is desperate for Jesus. Nothing else would satisfy and nothing else provided meaning or purpose. In our lives we often seek meaning apart from God even though we have surrendered our lives to Christ. We are desperate for salvation but not desperate for the daily joy that we can experience with our Creator. Oh that we would fix our minds on Christ continuously and be totally and unconditionally desperately surrendered to Him and His glorious grace.
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