Our Sufficiency

One of my favorite Bible passages is 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (ESV), which says:

"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Some days I don’t feel adequate to minister for the Lord. Even though I’ve preached for 20+ years, there are days that I feel like I’m stumbling inarticulately over my words. There are days when my mind doesn’t feel sharp. And there are days that I feel ill-equipped to teach God’s word. All these cause me to be apprehensive & to struggle with self-confidence.

But I’ve learned to remind myself that, as 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 says, “My sufficiency as a minister for Christ doesn’t come from me; it comes from God.”

When God told Moses, a fugitive from Egypt, to go to the most powerful man in that part of the world and demand that he free millions of Jews from slavery, Moses felt inadequate for the job & scared. And frankly, on his own, he was inadequate! But his sufficiency wouldn’t come from himself but from the Creator of the universe. The Lord told Moses, 12Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:12 (ESV)).

When the Lord called Isaiah to be His prophet, Isaiah suddenly realized how unholy he was. He cried out,

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts,” (Isaiah 6:5 (ESV))!

But the Lord took care of the problem of impurity so that Isaiah could minister for the Lord & accomplish the Lord’s purposes.

When Paul faced repeated hardships while preaching the gospel, he faced situations that would collapse many others. Yet, the reason the Apostle wasn’t overcome was that He discovered that God “upheld him with his righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Because of this, Paul went on to say:

"Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

(2 Corinthians 12:9b–10 (ESV))

The next time you feel inadequate to accomplish whatever the Lord is calling you do (whether it’s preaching the gospel, teaching a Bible class, sharing the gospel with someone, etc…), realize that just as God made Moses, Isaiah, and Paul sufficient to speak for God, the Lord promises to infuse you with strength & ability to accomplish His will through you. Your sufficiency comes from God.