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July 5, 2015
At
some point, each of us struggles with the question
of adequacy. The ability to measure up; to
achieve; to be self-sufficient; to be
competent. Pressure comes from family,
friends, church, community, and from within us.
But,
what happens if we don't measure up? What
happens when we achieve great things and then
nobody notices? Do people really care what
we think or feel? Does life seem like a rat
race and the rats are winning? Very often,
it seems, we are treading water in 20 foot swells,
breathing more water than air, and knowing that we
do not have what it takes to keep going.
Paul takes on the question of our
adequacy in 2 Corinthians 3:5: "Not that we
are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as
coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God"
(NASB).
Strangely, the way to be made
adequate is to admit that we are not adequate.
Rather than trying to "tough it out" or just trying
harder we need to agree with God that we, in and of
ourselves, do not have what it takes. Our
adequacy, our strength, self-worth, ability, and
standing before God can only come from the almighty
God of creation.
Friends and family may place
artificial standards of adequacy on us. We may
even place burdensome standards on ourselves.
But, it is God through Jesus Who makes us to be
adequate. That's a game changer should we choose
to accept what God has done for us. It is not
the standards of people we must live up to but God's
standard. God, Who makes us adequate before Him
and for what He has created and called us to do.
The unsurrendered parts of our
lives are like dirt in the pipes (ever tried to
unclogged a clogged pipe? YEECH). The
unsurrendered parts of our lives restrict the flow of
God's power in us. It is our pride, our desires
for adequacy achieved apart from God, that keep us
from experiencing the confidence of His power in our
lives. If we are willing to let
Him have control of our lives then who can
criticize us? Who can say we are
inadequate? Let them argue with God. For,
it is God Who is at work in and through us.