All the sins of self
I am convinced they stem from a single place
I am convinced that all the sins of self stem from a single place - The Lord is not enough.
It looks like this -
The Lord alone, by Himself, is not enough…
Therefore we strive.
Therefore we worry about tomorrow.
Therefore we are jealous.
Therefore we seek revenge.
Therefore we have no control over our tongue.
Therefore we pursue temporary pleasures.
Therefore we seek the praise and recognition of men.
Therefore we love money.
Therefore we store up our possessions here on earth for a tomorrow that never comes.
Therefore we add to and take away from the simplicity of the gospel - deeming it, on its own, to be insufficient.
Therefore we sin, not trusting Him, on His own, to be enough.
In all these things, it is as if we, the creation, are beating against our chests in arrogance, screaming to the sky, at the Creator, “YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH!”
Therefore we turn to other gods.
Therefore we promote self.
Therefore we give in to the demands of the people.
Therefore we compromise.
Therefore we grow cold.
Therefore we refuse to wait.
Therefore we are unable to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” (Exodus 14:13)
Therefore we are never willing to, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Therefore it is entirely possible, that a generation who believe themselves to be saved, do not actually know God and, more tragically, are in fact those to whom the Lord will declare, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23)
Therefore our true condition must be revealed.
Is He enough for us or He is not? The root of our heart must be exposed, and if necessary, the ax must be laid to it. How is this root of dissatisfaction revealed?
The thirst reveals the root.
This is exactly what the Lord revealed to me through the story of the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
Drink once more, He promised to an incredibly thirsty woman, and you’ll never thirst again. There are times when a verse will seem to come alive and jump off the page, and this was just such a time. All of a sudden, I knew I was thirsty and that I’d been that way for quite some time.
The sorrow reveals the root.
Whether it is sorrow at the requirements of the Lord, as the rich young ruler, “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Mark 10:22
Or it may be sorrow from the events of life, stemming from a, “How could God allow this to happen?”
These sorrows are designed to reveal the root and lead us, if possible, to repentance.
“And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.” 2 Corinthians 7:9
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
The waiting reveals the root.
As we talked about a few months ago, one of the questions the Lord posed to us was, “What if it’s just you and me?” A probing question that pokes right to the heart of our satisfaction in Christ.
What if there was no human applause, no visible impact of our work, no ability to see this or that changed as a result of our efforts, would He still be enough? And for how long would He be enough in this manner? It is a question that gets immediately to the root.
This question eventually leads to one of two places. Either we abort, covering up the question with busyness, activity, and a sense of purpose. Or we come to this beautiful, quiet, still place of the soul, able to say, “Even if I were to be hidden away forever, as long as I have You, I have enough.”
Why draw such a hard line on this issue?
Because Christ is either all we need, end of story, or He is insufficient, lacking, and unable to provide. It is one of the two.
“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.” Luke 22:35
Brothers and sisters, we must need nothing else, for He satisfies every need, and in Him, we lack nothing. In Him, we can truly, confidently and with full assurance say, “I have enough!” Therefore to turn to anything else for any need, before turning to Christ, is idolatry. For he was able to meet that need, but we have chosen the arms of another lover.
Yes, but why must we insist on one or the other?
Because anything that is not in Him, to Him, for Him, and from Him (in all things) will perish. It will pass away.
Anything that is not “dug deep,” with a foundation “laid on the rock,” will fall. “And the ruin of that house will be great.” (Luke 6:48-49)
Anything that can be shaken will be shaken, so that those shaken things may be removed, that only “the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Hebrews 12:27)
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
We must come to the conclusion - He is enough.
He is sufficient as a provider. He is present as a Savior and a friend. He is compassionate and close to the brokenhearted. He is eternal and His words will by no means pass away.
Whereas those who build upon themselves will fall into great ruin, those whose house is built on the rock will endure, even as, “the rains fall, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat on the house, it will not fall and it cannot be shaken because it has been well built.” (Matthew 7:25, Luke 6:48)
This is the Lord we serve, this is the house we are being built up into, and this is the foundation we are solidly rooted upon.
Friends, let us remedy this today, once and for all.
Here is a God who watches over the sparrows, refusing to let a single one fall to the ground apart from His will, and yet how much more does He love you?
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31)
Here is a God who has all the rights and all the power, and is, therefore, both able and willing to pour out all and in abundance toward you.
“And 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)
Here is a God who promises, “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14)
Here is a God who instructs, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6)
He is enough.
Therefore we must be those who join with the saints and the angels to declare, “You are enough! I have enough! It is You and You alone! All glory, all honor, all power.”
Spend some time today and throughout this week praising Him as worthy, eternal, immortal, wise, blessed, great, head over all, and more than sufficient for all we need. A few Scriptures to get you started:
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things; and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever.” (1 Timothy 1:17)
“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)
As we close, a reminder.
In the most simple terms, we are either those who say, “The Lord is enough,” or we are those who say, “He is not enough for me.”
When the promises of God are not enough and we lose sight of the beauty of the crucified and resurrected Christ, there is no longer contentment to be found, either in this life or the one to come.
If He is not enough, nothing will ever be enough…for all of eternity.
But take heart, for HE IS ENOUGH.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
In love,
Derek