Sufficiency

 December 8, 2021

“Our sufficiency is from God,” —II Corinthians 3:5 

If there’s one thing this past year has taught us, it’s that there is much in our lives over which we have little control. Covid has dominated conversation and life itself, attacking some with virulent rapacity and devastation, while others emerge relatively unscathed. Not just individuals, but society itself has been quarantined, shuttering businesses, creating shortages, fueling inflation. Internationally, we have squandered any influence we might have had; no one believes we have the moral courage to resist those who seek dominance in the world scene.

Where once we thought we could accomplish almost anything, we now doubt our ability to even provide for our basic necessities. Big Tech and Big Pharma appear to be in cahoots with Big Government and the educational lobby, controlling what we think, how we think, and what we put into our bodies.

For anyone already struggling with self-confidence or self-esteem, our present time offers little by way of assurance or assistance. I’ve often looked over my life and felt that I’ve fallen short of my potential, which is not a very comforting thought at my age. The enemy of our souls is all too eager to capitalize on such brooding, telling us that we don’t measure up, that we cannot return from the wrong turns we made years ago, and that we will always fall short.

Of course, the Bible tells us that, too, in Romans 3:23, but the story doesn’t end there. Later in the letter, Paul reminds us that what we were unable to accomplish, God did for us in Christ (Romans 8:3-4). Then there are these words in 2 Corinthians.

No matter how insufficient I may be in and of myself, God in Christ has all the bases covered. I read something awhile back that captures our situation perfectly: “When God put a calling on your life, he already factored in your stupidity.” Christ is sufficient even for that, and for my sin, and for the times in which we live. I don’t live by my own sufficiency, for that always falls short. I live in the sufficiency of the Christ whose riches are inexhaustible, whose wisdom is incomprehensible, and whose love is unshakable.