The Gift Of Insufficiency

The Gift of Insufficiency

Read: John 15:1-8

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

John 15:4

“The more we depend on God, the more dependable we find He is.”

—Cliff Richard

IN WORD Jesus declares with emphasis that He is the source of our life. This should be a huge relief to us, but sometimes it is an affront. The human ego balks at the declaration in verse 5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” But once we let it sink in, we realize this is really the only way to accomplish anything lasting. It stands to reason that eternal fruit can only come from an eternal source.

Human pride gets in our way. Self-effort and self- sufficiency may be admirable qualities to unspiritual eyes, but nowhere in the Bible is anyone rebuked for being too dependent on God. The Bible does contain numerous rebukes for being too self-reliant. The glory of God is the centerpiece of the universe, and everything that points to it is blessed. Self-reliance doesn’t point to it. God-reliance does. Lasting fruit can only come from Jesus Himself.

IN DEED Every one of our days should begin with a “declaration of dependence.” We should start every morning with an emphatic acknowledgment: “Lord, I am insufficient in everything I will encounter today. I have insufficient wisdom to make the decisions I’ll be required to make. I have insufficient strength to resist the temptations I’ll face. I have insufficient skills to manage the conflict that may arise. I have insufficient resources to minister to the people I’ll encounter. I am entirely dependent on You.”

The blessing of the gospel is that in our insufficiency, Jesus is sufficient. Salvation began when we recognized that our righteousness was insufficient to coexist peacefully and eternally with a holy God, and it has continued ever since into every arena of our lives. We are deficient in every meaningful way. Embrace that deficiency, and let the eternal Vine be your life.