S.Scripture | Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 2 Corinthians 3:5
O.Observation | The gift of being transformed into the image of Christ will always be a marvelous thing for the true believer. The fact that God is the one at work in him “both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil 2:13)” causes the believer to rejoice! In light of such an amazing gift, the true believer works out His life of salvation with fear and trembling. It is a serious, active and intentional path he follows, for God’s glory alone.
He labors and strives at it increasingly, only uncovering more cause of humility as he grows and reveals more sin to repent of (1 Tim 4:8-10). Let us learn that when we fall it is not a failure of the Lord, but of our own. For God is our sufficiency, we lack nothing for all of life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).
Humility is the low mind-ness of ever realizing we deserve hell, yet also the high mindedness of how completely full our Lord’s provisions are for both our salvation and our transformation. For both our just standing before Him in Jesus Christ, and our being made more and more holy through His Word (John 17:17). This ought to remind us of the sufficiency of His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17). When we go to other sources, we mock God as though he and his Word were insufficient. Instead, let us rejoice! We need nothing other than what we have in Him!
A.Application | What do I turn to in life instead of my all sufficient God and His Word? Man’s wisdom? Man’s ways? How can I turn to God’s wisdom and ways fully today? How can I read His Word, study His Word, and seek His ancient ways more?
P.Prayer | Father, I confess I have tried and tested the way of man. I have gone at life and religion leaning on my own understanding (Prov 3:5-6). Open my eyes when I wander from your ancient paths, that it is not because you have not supplied all that I need in grace and godliness. Turn me back to You and your ways today. For your glory alone. Amen.
For more study of the doctrine of sufficiency, see the video teaching on 2 timothy 3:16
