God’s Sufficiency

"What is impossible with men is possible with God. " – Luke 18:27

We tend to be self-sufficient people who feel very capable of providing for our own needs. We have developed an extreme confidence in our own ability and worth and in our Western culture, we idolize self-sufficiency and independence. When we are left to our own plans and desires, the chief aim of our lives tends to gravitate toward economic, social, and relational independence. Yet our quest for self-sufficiency moves us in the direct opposite direction of God’s plan for us.

People in all their self-sufficiency cannot save themselves. The rich young man who came to Jesus (Luke 18:18-29) was self-sufficient in his understanding of religion, but when he was faced with losing his possessions to gain following Christ, he went away sad. He couldn’t give up his wealth. Suddenly it became apparent to him that to follow Christ required the recognition of his own personal need – and that he was not as self-sufficient as he had first thought.

This rich young man had given his best effort to satisfy God, but found his own life lacking. The realization of his own need caused him ask, "Who then can be saved"? (v.26) He felt he had done everything that was humanly possible to win God’s favor – I am sure that he felt that if he couldn’t find a way to God, then nobody could! Jesus reply to the question, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

That’s the answer … if we place our dependency on God, then we’ll gain eternal life and fulfillment. For many Christians, walking in moral righteousness – trying to live a good life – defines their walk with the Lord. But this self-determined effort can lead us to the dead end road of returning to our own self-sufficiency. God didn’t set us free to labor for success, gain position, education, wealth and status. It’s how we live our life and the works we carry out under the Lord that now are the issue. Jesus came to set us free – free to become a people who glorify Him through our very lives. Yet, our lives often fail to demonstrate the power of God, His glory, and a testimony of walking in complete trust of Him for all things.

God desires to be our sufficiency in everything. How radical our lives would be if we would permit every thought, word and deed to flow from and through Him! "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty" Zechariah 4:6