“Jesus is
enough.” A simple message that was posted on a local church sign not far
from our home. As a habitual sign reader, I can honestly say that they
all come and go in passing, and rarely does a message ever stick. However, this one was different. I have been meditating on the message “Jesus
is enough” for days upon days. How contrary this ideal is to the message
of the world. How liberating it is to the
worrying, and anxious Christian. How powerful
to the church. Jesus is enough.
We live in a culture
where the word “enough” is not something you hear very often. Our culture
of consumption is ever learning but never
coming to a knowledge of the truth. They are ever consuming, but
never full. They ever searching, but
never finding. They are ever experiencing,
but never settled. A message, any
message, is continually being broadcasted to everyone and everybody, but rarely
do you hear anything about “enough”. The
idea that something is enough is completely lost. So, it is no wonder that we would expect
Jesus to be enough. Though he is enough.
He is enough on a personal level, and he is enough on a collective
level. He is enough to save the individual,
and he is enough to save the society. The
message of Jesus Christ is powerful enough.
Strong enough. Bold enough. Captivating enough. It is enough to meet any and all needs. The presence of Jesus Christ is satisfying,
liberating, challenging and complete. Jesus needs no subtraction or
addition. It can be a careful thing not
to fall into the trap of performing either.
We are tempted to assume that by shrinking from the full weight of
preaching the gospel, one would find it easier for the hearer to obtain the
gospel. “Don't scare people off.” Some would exhort. Jesus is enough. He will do the work and call the sinner up to
the experience of holiness, don’t try to lower the experience of holiness to the
sinner. How dare we pervert the gospel
that Christ died for? Who are we to
doubt Jesus? Satan would have us think: “But
what if the gospel is too plain? What if
it is too dull? Too ridged for our modern
minds?” He would lead us to believe that
we must dress it up with glitz and glamour.
We must adorn it with the trimmings of this world that we love so
much. Again, Jesus is enough. The presence and power of Christ is enough to
draw, convict, and captivate. All we need
is Jesus! Jesus dwelling on the inside
is forever sufficient. There are so many shortcomings in my life (and most
likely in yours). It seems at times that
there is never enough. Enough time,
enough talent, enough energy, enough money.
Stress and anxiety seem to occur when the challenges of the day are
greater than the ability to perform them. Therefore, so many people want
money, because they believe that it can make up for that difference. However, money is not enough, or willpower, or
human ingenuity. Jesus is enough. He is meet for every situation, in every era,
for every generation. Jesus is enough.
He will be what you cannot be and keep what you cannot keep. I don't need to worry, Jesus is enough.
The joy of living a
sanctified life is, yes, the knowledge that you are free from sin and headed
for a home in heaven. However, it is also the confidence that Jesus is
enough. His Spirit witness to your
Spirit that you are a child of God, and he is a Good Father to you. He
will prove himself enough in your life, time and time again. It is not mandatory that you understand this,
only that you trust that Jesus is enough.
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