Sufficiency part 1
I remember one time when I used to preach on a regular basis I was doing a series--much like a Rant series, yes sir, I am who I am--but for whatever reason it made sense for me to break from that and do a one off message. And the message was about self-sufficiency. When I was done one of the people who listened to the message was like, "Wow! You just had that in your back pocket, so you could pull it out when you needed it?" Pretty impressed with the message. Hit them right in the heart. Now, I didn't say all that to toot my own horn. Just to say that I think this idea is important. I think it's one we need to hear. And that's why I'm going to spend the next few days really diving into the idea that we ARE self-sufficent... because we HAVE everything we need... because we have God. Because we have each other. I know that sounds a little unconventional. "I have everything I need because I have you." But that's what this life is all about--it's all about those bonds and connections, and relationships. It's about God loving people, and people loving God back (with the love He first loved them with) by loving people. Look at 2 Corinthians 3:5, which is our key memory verse for this Rant series, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." That word, "sufficiency" is number 2426 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it simply means, "abililty." Let me say this another way: ""But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). Or, "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27). Or even Luke 18:27, "And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." I've really been stuck on the idea of us all being in this thing called life together. I can't do it all on my own. And that's ok. Because I'm not expected to. I'm not supposed to. It takes a village to raise a child, right? We need each other. So the idea of being self-sufficient... well... no man is an island. At my old church we always used to say, "I have no lack because my God has no lack." That's kind of what I'm talking about here. It's not ME, it's Christ IN me. It's the Jesus in me connecting to the Jesus in you. The light in me connecting to the light in you. That's the bond. That's the love. That's the relationship. That's how we make it through. What I'm trying to say is that we need to change our mindset from "I need this, this, and this" to "I have what I need... because I have God. Because I have love. Because I have... you." There are some (a lot of) things I can't do. And you might be just the person who CAN do some of those things that I can't. Like puzzle pieces fitting together in order to make a bigger picture. I AM complete, because I am complete in Him. I AM who I need to be. But that doesn't mean I don't need to share who I am, or let you share who you are. My sufficiency, my ability, comes from God. It comes from letting go and letting God. It comes from letting people help me instead of hurting myself (and others) by trying to do everything by myself. Do I have what I need? Yes I do. Because I have God. I have love. I have... you!