“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5, NKJV

I sometimes experience a debilitating sense of insecurity and a feeling of being inadequate or not good enough, which makes it extremely hard for me to deal with certain situations or to pursue some of my goals.

Of course I am not alone; according to the UNDP, six in seven people worldwide are plagued by feelings of insecurity at some point in their life.

In our meditation today, the Greek word translated ‘sufficiency’ is the same word used for ‘security.’

It denotes the state of being without anxiety in regard to possessions, ability, potential or appearance. 

In his second epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul was hard-pressed to defend his ministry and his credentials.

However, Paul also knew that the Lord hates it when His people exhibit self-sufficiency.

So he ‘balanced the boat’ as it were, by stating that his sufficiency – his security – was purely the work of God.

To “make sufficient” means to make one have more than enough or to make worthy or enough.  

In other words, Paul was absolutely secure psychologically because God had made him enough and worthy.

That provides the secret to minimizing personal insecurities: establish your identity in Christ and let Him be your sufficiency.  

In a vain effort to prove that we’re ‘someone’ (read important), we sometimes go on self-promotion sprees and putting others down, completely oblivious of the fact that we’re only proving our own personal insecurities.

Have you ever noted that naturally beautiful people rarely say that someone else is not?

When our sufficiency is in the Father, it gives us the courage and security to be comfortable in our own skin.  We don’t need validation from anyone.

In 1 Cor. 12: 9, Paul, weakened by a gruesome infirmity, quotes God telling him; “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God’s grace comprises all the sufficiency that we need!

We don’t have to ‘compete’ or feel insecure and inadequate in regard to what we own (or don’t own), our abilities or our appearance.  Christ is our sufficiency!

Paul knew that true strength can only be found in understanding the futility of our own self-sufficiency and instead relying on divine grace.

He testified that it is God who has “made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant” (2 Cor. 3:6).

I like what Philip told Jesus in John 14:8: “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 

Is God your sufficiency or you’re always looking for something extra to clutch on?

God’s sufficiency is manifested in His Providence, especially those who are as generous as the Corinthians.

The Bible says; “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Mark the key words in this verse: ‘always,’ ‘all sufficiency,’ ‘in all things’ and ‘abundance.’

We don’t have to ‘compete’ or feel insecure and inadequate in regard to what we own (or don’t own), our abilities or appearance.  Christ is our sufficiency. Hallelujah!

Prayer:

Almighty God, Your sufficiency is what gives me the courage to be me. I refuse the spirit of competition and vain bragging because having You in my life is what makes me adequate; it’s what gives us the confidence to know that we’re neither inferior nor superior. We’re enough because You have made us so, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!