Mind and Spirit
Sufficient
for Our
Insufficiency
“Weak and insufficient? Perfect…”
By Josiah Watanabe
S
ince the beginning of time, man has boasted of his ability. He has prided himself with the notion that he can accomplish his
every whim. “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” is the rallying cry of the nations, as they join together in blatant opposition
against the reality of the sovereign God. Nothing has changed. Since building the Tower of Babel to walking on the moon, man has
thought himself sufficient for any task set before him. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The foun-
tain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.” (Jer. 2:13) Mankind claims self-
sufficiency, but God declares otherwise.
The desire to be self-sufficient is a sinful trait that has been passed down ever since God breathed dust into life. Everyone wants
to prove themselves “strong enough”. Everyone wants to prove themselves capable of accomplishment. There’s a boy who wants to
prove himself worthy of his first paycheck. Then a girl wants to prove herself worthy of a scholarship at a prestigious university. An-
other man wants to prove himself worthy of a promotion. Then a woman wants to prove herself sufficient for the happiness of her
husband. The desire to be capable, sufficient, and accomplished manifests itself in many ways and in many forms. But they are all
similar with one respect. In the end, whether they fail or succeed, they are left with nothing - no hope, no satisfaction.
When people put their hope in worldly aspirations, failure ruins them. They try again and again but still come away with empty hands
and despair. The boy puts in his best effort but is fired. The girl is rejected from the university of her choice. The man receives no
promotion and goes into debt. The woman finds no way to please her husband enough. In a similar way, the people who succeed
encounter disappointment. Or even with the realization of their success, they discover the emptiness of the reward and the many
faults that still exist in their lives. The boy is hired for his first job but is mistreated and paid little. The girl is accepted into the univer-
sity but finds no joy in her long hours of study. The man is promoted but realizes how much he has neglected his wife. The woman
succeeds in making her husband happy but only through hard, strenuous work. These are the cisterns that can hold no water. When
death comes, which it inevitably will, man will have no accomplishment good and holy enough to save his soul from hell. “...for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23)
Only by the blood of Christ can man come into a right relationship with God. Only because of the sacrifice that He paid upon
the cross, can one have eternal life. Even though Christians believe this, many times they rely on their own strength to accomplish the
work that God has set before them. This only ends in further disappointment and despair. Without God’s complete providence, any
amount of effort is rendered useless. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency
is from God…” (2 Cor. 3:5) Therefore, when Christians are weak before the Lord, knowing that He will provide, it brings glory to
Him. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ 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 weak-
nesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9-10) Man can ultimately
do nothing of worth without Christ. Likewise, he cannot do anything for Christ apart from Christ, for he is nothing more than a jar of
clay. But through the weakness of man, God manifests his love, power, and glory. Through the insufficiency of man, God shows
Himself sufficient.
“Be weak before Him…”
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