A Place of Insufficiency

The following is from indeed Magazine, a bi-monthly devotional designed to illuminate themes of Scripture. To learn more about indeed, CLICK HERE.

In Word

We almost get the impression sometimes that when something is impossible for us but necessary or fruitful for God’s kingdom, He’ll step in and help us out, perhaps a little reluctantly. He becomes our “God of the gaps”—He makes up the difference when we just don’t have the strength. But in the back of our minds, we think He’d prefer that we have the strength.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God is not reluctant about our impossibilities. He relishes them. He sometimes even waits until we arrive at them before He acts. Just as it was Paul’s weakness that allowed God to show His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9), it is our powerlessness that demonstrates His power. If we were self-sufficient in everything, no one would ever see God.

In today’s verse, the disciples are astounded when Jesus says it is difficult for the rich to inherit salvation. They wonder who, then, can be saved. But why is it so difficult for the rich to be saved? Since we’re all saved the same way, through faith in Jesus, what makes it harder for the rich? A sense of self-sufficiency. It is an obstacle to God’s work in anyone’s life. In laying down this principle of salvation, Jesus is giving us a principle of any spiritual work—it must be all from God and not at all from us.

In Deed

Are you in a place of insufficiency? Don’t despair. It may feel as if God wasn’t watching or caring for you when you arrived there. Not only was He watching, but He also planned it! He brought you there because it is the only place where He can step in and work and be acknowledged as the power behind your victories. If you were not completely unable to meet your own needs, you would receive credit for fulfilling them. He had to bring you face-to-face with your inabilities in order to bring you face-to-face with His abilities. You are exactly where He wants you to be.