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Godly Living, God’s Sufficiency, and the New Covenant

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The following is adapted from Bob Hoestra’s class Living By God’s Sufficiency, available free at the Blue Letter Bible Institute (www.blbi.org).

Not many would argue that God has saved us from death by grace (Ephesians 2:4-5).

But what about about our growth toward Christlikeness in the Christian life? Is this now up to us? Or do we grow continually in our lives of faith by that same grace which saved us?

That is what this new blog series is about.

The kingdom of man and the kingdom of heaven

Mankind learns naturally, through even his earliest experiences in life, how to rely upon his own sufficiency. The world teaches that for man to make a way for himself in the world, he is called to do what he can do and be what he can be. He is the captain of his own destiny and what he makes of himself will be his lot in life. We are all too familiar with the kingdom of man.

The kingdom of heaven is of a different sort. It resembles very little the kingdom of men. When Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), He reminded us that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts; they are higher than the heavens are above the earth (Isaiah 55:8). In the kingdom of heaven, we are called upon to learn to live by the sufficiency of God rather than the sufficiency of man.

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God.
(2 Corinthians 1:12)

Paul’s ministry: by the grace of God

The apostle Paul ministered throughout the world, traveling and sharing the word of God. He conducted himself in godly sincerity; and that sincerity did not come out of fleshly wisdom. The wisdom of man would be insufficient for Paul’s ministration. The whole of Paul’s ministry occurred by the grace of God. Godly living comes only by the grace of God and we who believe are called to live godly lives.

For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
(2 Corinthians 2:17)

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God
(2 Corinthians 4:2).

We are called to godly living. We desire to remain apart from things that are shameful: craftiness and deceit. We want to live the truth and share the truth. This is the work that God has begun in us and commends to us—that we might walk in righteousness before men. From the earliest part of the Scriptures, we are called to live in a godly manner. From Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, where the Law is given, the message resounds: “Be holy for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7).  God is a holy God. In walking with Him, we are called to walk in godliness.

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

In Scripture, God promises that if we come out of the ways of the world and walk with God, He will be our God and will change our lives. In this state, we will grow naturally in godliness out of reverence for the Lord. The believer is called to godly living, but the questions arise:

How does the believer accomplish this? Where is the resource for godly living? That is what we will study in this blog series.

The natural mind thinks the power to godly living is of self-discipline and human effort. But that is the way of the kingdom of man. The kingdom of God draws on a different resource. It is of God’s provision alone that sufficiency for godly living comes.

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)

Let me put it plainly: man is not sufficient of himself

Man, of himself, does not have the adequate resource for anything of eternal value. Of his own means he cannot live as godly, he cannot save souls, and he cannot transform lives. The sufficiency to accomplish anything of godly value is from God alone.

Do you believe this?

Next post→ “Godly Living Under the New Covenant”.

Comments

  1. Not by power, nor by might but by Your Spirit Oh God. Amen. Jesus says that His burden is light and yoke is easy and that is because we only have to look to Him and be saved and depend on His suffiency. Its so AWESOME. and He will put in us good works to do His will. Its so beautiful that we only have to abide with Him and be in His presence, and know His will. And we wait patiently for HIm to woRK

      • Hey Sean, don’t give up. Trust Jesus. Get to know His character, He’s amazing and He speaks the truth, He is who He says He is and that is God and our saviour. I think you need to realise what we are without Him, and how Jesus came down from His throne and walked with us and had such compassion on us. Trust Him and talk to Him and ask Him to lead you and show you truth. In time you will feel His presence. Isaiah 54 be blessed.

        • Hey Sean,

          Ive been praying for you and Jesus loves you so much. Don’t let your joy be robbed and cling to Him, hold on tightly to Him and trust that He is Good and truthful and He is your Saviour. The below is a paragraph from a book in the Cristology course. be blessed.

          He came from the throne of the Father to the womb of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became Son of Man that we might become sons of God. He was born in a supernatural way, lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He had neither wealth nor influence, yet the wisdom of men has never matched His wisdom. Never has a man spoken like this man. His family was inconspicuous and uninfluential. In infancy He startled a king. As a boy, He stunned theologians with His knowledge and wisdom for He was taught of God. In manhood, He ruled the elements and quieted the raging sea. He healed the multitudes without medicine. And fed thousands from a boy’s lunch. Even demons obeyed Him and He gave back life to those who died. He never wrote a book, yet none of the libraries of the world can contain the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme of more songs than all song writers combined. He never founded a college, yet all the colleges together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never marshaled an army, yet no leader has ever had more volunteers. Great men have come and gone yet He lives all. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not tempt Him to sin. Death could not destroy Him. The grave could not hold Him. He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant’s gown. He was rich yet for our sakes He became poor. He slept in another’s manger. He rode on another’s donkey. He was buried in another’s grave. He conquered death and rose on the third day as He said He would. He ascended into heaven and is now at the right hand of the throne of God. One day He will return with power and great glory to judge the world when every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord. His friends gladly. But enemies seeking for a place to hide from His face. He is the perfect one. The only one who can satisfy the soul. He gives everlasting life to those who love Him. He is altogether lovely. But best of all, He is my Savior

          God bless Sean and I pray that you will know that the Lord is your shephard, He makes you lie in green pastures, He leads you by still waters, he restores your soul. Surely goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen. Lord Jesus please help Sean to see You and give Him a new revelation of Your divine plan for Sean and to ease Seans wrestles with Truth. Amen.

      • hmm…..
        Hi Sean.
        It’s easy here to ask the standard– “d’brother has left the fellowship and is no longer doing/living as they ought” questions, so I’ll skip that, because you’re here, with us, and have commented on this.
        How’s your thought life? Please read Col. 3:1-4, Phil. 4:6-9, Isa. 26:3-4.
        Do you realize that simply by trusting what Jesus did on your behalf, you’re already made just in his sight? Romans 4:17-25, 5:1-12.
        Do you realize that God has made you holy by Jesus’ offering on your behalf, AND made you complete by that? Heb. 10:10-14, and Col 2:10.

        We’re made right with God by our placing our trust in Him– not by how good we are, or whether we are obedient to the Law.

        Are you reading, and praying daily? Even if just for a few minutes each time– anything is better than nothing.

        Without knowing more on your specific situation, there’s no real way to comment more concisely, and justly. Provided you’re “doing all the right stuff” and “believing all the right stuff” I’d say that you’re in a valley of shadows, and as we read in Psalm 23– God is there with you, even if it does not feel like it– also, please read Psalm 139 on this. I.e., even if we make our bed in hell– God is there.

        I will not make the overly easy comment of– “if it feels like God is far away, guess who moved.” This is not biblical, and does not hold weight when compared to the Word. Emotions are not trustworthy, and while we may not “feel God’s Presence” his Word has made it crystal, and abundantly clear– he will never fail us, nor forsake us! Please remember– God exalts His Word ABOVE His name (Ps 138:2). It’s his covenant to us. His Word is his Bond to us, and he will not break that bond. It’s then incumbent on us to believe Him. Hebrews 4:2.

        Grace and Peace be with you Sean.

        Unless there is some “secret sin” you’ve sought to hide (in which case, you have 1 John 1:5-2:2)– you’re already made right in God’s Sight- Romans 4:17, 1 John 3:20, and Romans 4:23-25.

      • Ultimately we walk by faith and not by sight. Hebrews 11 gives us an insight into the lives of those who had very little of the feelings that you refer to but had an unshakeable faith in the God they served. Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Get into the word and be confidant that if you have faith in Christ you are in good hands my friend. blessings

      • This is a way of God. I have experienced Jesus’ manifest presence when I was first saved and then after the long dark night of the soul when I almost died in Guatemala I experienced His nearness again. On two other occasions I I also experienced His presence. This is not an emotion at all like some suppose. It is the presence of Jesus in the spirit. Each time He was near, I was complete and totally happy. But in between those experiences I was in total darkness. But I learned from the Lord that this darkness is His will to grow my faith. As I yield to Him and walk by His Word, my light, then even in this darkness I have come to know Him in a greater way than in the light of His presence. Yes, I have learned my own debauchery, His forgiveness, my inability, His ability. I have also learned to see His hand in the little things, and be thankful. God is never angry when we honestly talk to him in our confusion. But we must talk to Him every single day, when we feel his presence or not. For He is always with us. His word says so, and His word cannot be broken. Believe it. He Himself has said, I will never ever leave you, nor forsake you. His promise is as good as purest gold. Lord bless you.

  2. I completely agree. I would add that our effort is inescapably necessary but at the same time not sufficient. I think about it this way: Christ and I are in a large row boat rowing across the Sea of Galilee. He is on one side and I on the other. If I try to row by myself, I only row in circles. He needs and expects my effort but I certainly can’t make it across to the other side without Him.

    • I like it Chad. I think I’m in the boat trembling with fear at the wind and waves and I’m totally inadequate to do anything. In fact whatever is not of faith is just plain old sin! I desperately need my Savior to come live in me to take over my life and give me strength to row this life of glory, honor, and praise to Him to shore. If i even pick up an ore, its by His strength alone that works in me for His good plan and purpose. To consider that He had this worked out before the world began leaves me utterly speechless and in awe of the Master and His love for me.

      Father, I bow down and ask for You to destroy the pride that is in me that works to exalt myself and give me a new heart that loves and cherishes your beautiful Name. Please put in me a mind of submission and obedience to Your will for Your Glory. I pray the world see Christ’s power only in my life and may Your grace carry me this day into whatever your plan holds to exalt the Lord Jesus. Please Lord, set me free from myself. Set me free from both fear and Ego. Be my life Lord Jesus. Thank you for living the perfect life in my place. Thank you for absorbing the wrath of the Father for my sin on the cross. Thank you for giving me the promise of victory over death in your resurrection. You are so wonderful, please give me the heart, mind, and strength to love you with all that I am. Amen.

      • Tony~

        Thank you very much. That is a beautiful prayer that we all need to keep in our hearts and minds as well as on our lips.

        God bless you~
        Barbara

      • Tony, that is a beautiful and Spirit filled prayer. Amen. I pray that for His church world wide. God bless you x

      • Sean~

        You have brought up a lot of points on different posts. With regard to the questions above, I have copied something for you to consider that I posted to someone else:

        The fact is that we can reconcile God’s sovereignty, mankind’s free will, and mankind’s depravity to find the truth, and this truth can be found in the very clear order of salvation:

        1. God, ALONE, draws us. This is God’s sovereignty.

        As John 6:44 says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

        As Revelation 3:20 says, “”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

        2. Man, ALONE, either accepts or rejects God’s call upon his life. This is his free will.

        If anyone in the world (Jn. 3:16) “hears” and “opens the door” (Rev. 3:20), he or she will DO the following, keeping in mind, of course, that these are not human “works” that we offer a holy God in order to have our sins covered to receive salvation but, rather, an acknowledgement of our need for a Savior. (Caps mine)

        ~ “But as many as RECEIVED him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that BELIEVE on his name” (Jn. 1:12).
        ~ “REPENT therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
        ~ “that if you CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus and BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
        ~ “For ‘whoever CALLS on the name of the LORD shall be saved’” (Rom. 10:13).

        The above verses are very clear. Whosoever “believes,” “receives,” “repents,” “confesses,” and “calls” will be saved, and one can only do this if he or she has free will.

        3. God, ALONE, saves us, chooses us out of the world in accordance to His plan before the foundation of the world. This is, again, His sovereignty.

        ~Matthew 19:25-26
        ~Ephesians 1, 2:8

        Scripture very much, then, teaches that both God and man have a part to play in our salvation. He takes those of us who have affirmatively responded to His gracious intervention upon our lives and conveys us into the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13). He calls. We respond. He saves. Calvin’s theology about who is saved is put to rest in point 2 as well as in John 3:16 and II Peter 3:9.

        As to your other comment about not feeling the presence of God, we know that He has given us some mighty promises, temporal and spiritual, but all of them are not just tacked onto our admit-to-the-kingdom ticket when we were born again. Some, and I would say most, come only after we have paid the cost, something Jesus talked about in Luke 14:28-35. I know that there have been some very encouraging words given to you, but I would like to present a different angle although I believe it is encouraging as well. I think many Christians have not paid the cost, so they are not living the blessed life promised. What other reason could there be? If God is always faithful, then it stands to reason that if we’re not reaping His promises, it is because we have not been faithful. We might not like it, but it is pretty cut and dried. There must be thousands of verses that give us specific instruction on how we are to live to be blessed. These are just the few that came to my mind, and I didn’t even cover all the bases, but you’ll get the idea:

        ~“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:19).
        ~“The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).
        ~“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).
        ~“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7).
        ~“For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (I Cor. 11:31).
        ~“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded” (Ja. 4:8).

        My question to you, Sean, is have you paid the price, really paid the price? This January I will have been saved for 20 years, and for 15 of those, I lived on the periphery. I was saved, yes, and I spent a lot of time at church, learning and in ministry, but there was no real cost on my part. I read the Word and prayed, but there was something definitely missing. There was real change in me at the beginning, but after that, not so much. Because of my background (worse than some, better than others), I had a really hard time trusting God. I had a lot of hurt and had built up walls. God kept me afloat, but I was very much a bottom dweller, not experiencing the true freedom and life that we have been promised. My temporal blessings were also lacking. I even had a lady tell me that I had a spirit of poverty. Seriously. At the time, I really ate that up. However, even after much praying against said spirit, nothing changed. It wasn’t until years later that it dawned on me that my financial woes had nothing to do with a ‘spirit’ and everything to do with the fact that I was a lousy steward over God’s money. I didn’t pay my bills or my tithing as God expects. How we fool ourselves into thinking that God is just going to overlook our sin and bless us just because He loves us. God is, above all else, holy, and He wants us to be holy.

        Years went by, and nothing really changed. Then, God intervened. He took me out of all my comfort zones and moved me thousands of miles away. I was in a hostile environment with no money and no job although my basic needs were met. He also blessed me with a Bible-study family who helped me in more ways than I can count, but I was, for the first time in my life, unable to rely upon “self.” It was during that time that God got my attention because I had no one to look to except to Him. Space doesn’t permit for me to tell my whole story, but I will tell you this. God saved us in our sin, but He still cannot abide in it. He cannot and will not bless us unless there is real evidence that we have crucified our flesh and truly live for Him. I’m not talking about immediate perfection, here, just a life that is wholly devoted to Him. Being saved is only the beginning. We are to yield ourselves to His ways and become sanctified for His glory. He is coming for a spotless bride, undefiled from the world and our flesh. It isn’t easy, and it wasn’t meant to be. It was the hardest year and a half in my life, and I am so grateful that He took everything away from me because I finally found true life. The last several years, I have grown in ways that I never dreamed possible. Before I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to take his or her thoughts captive to Christ Jesus or if it was even possible, but now I want to and know that it is. Before, I couldn’t understand the elders casting their crowns before the Lord, and now I get it, totally.

        Sean, for the first time in life, I have real peace, real contentment, and real joy, and I have these things because I have a real faith that has been tried by fire. I know that I am a work in progress, but I have seen what God can do, but He does expect something out of us, to seek Him and His righteousness FIRST, above all else, at any cost, and without excuses. Unlike the people in our lives, He won’t be played, and unlike the multiple resources that we can go to for whatever we want, He is the only resource we can go to, to get what He has. We need to set our minds on things above. This means we are to quit playing games and truly repent of our sins, asking the Holy Spirit to bring our hidden sins to mind. We are to pray, not just all day long, but face-in-the-carpet prayers. We are to study, study, study the Word of God to learn what it says for ourselves and then be a doer of the Word. We are to fast, seeking the Lord’s wisdom and intervention in our lives.

        A friend of mine once said that we can have as much of God as we want. She was right, but there is a price to pay.

        I will be praying that the Lord will guide you into the body of believers that He wants you in and that He will open your eyes as you seek Him out.

        Yours in Christ~
        Barbara

        • Barb,
          personalization within comments and replies almost removes the communication from the topic direction or focus yet a middle ground between quotes and narrative negotiates the inadequacy of language and distance. Your sincerity, witness, your post to edify moves me to recognize your alignment with the Holy Spirit.
          Jesus, glory

        • Barbara,

          That reply was so beautiful and filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m so encouraged and moved by it. I’m a believer 4 years now and i really want to grow more in God and be a great witness for Him. Thank you so much for your generous sharing.

          Pro 11:25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.

          God bless Barbara and I will keep you faithfully in prayer along with all the other BLB commenters 🙂

          Laura,

        • Bob and Laura~

          Thank you both so much for your comments and for the Scripture, Laura. After living so many years without the real power and witness of the Holy Spirit because of my refusal to die to self was something that I had to ask forgiveness for, and I am so grateful that He was long suffering with me and that He is quick to forgive. I am beginning to see even more clearly how our behaviors, both good and bad, affect the body of Christ, which is exactly the point of the Scripture passage that I read this morning, I Corinthians 12:12-27.

          I always picture the body of Christ with the head and face of Jesus and the body made up of millions of squares, one for each believer. How affective we are on Earth for Christ is depicted in shades of white, gray, and black. Without going into too much detail, we can understand that for every gray and black square, Christ’s work as a whole is stunted whether through illness, depression, immaturity, backsliding, sin, whatever, and it is up to the rest of the body to intervene in prayer, in help, in support, and in accountability so that the body recovers and grows in order to continue the work it was called to do. So much more could be explained through this model, but I’m sure you understand. My point in giving it is that there were people during these past few years who came alongside me during my trial, who loved me and supported me in very real temporal ways and in very real spiritual ways. If I can now take what I have and share it with others, then they will grow strong in the Lord and reach out to someone else. Can you just imagine how fruitful we would be as Christ’s body if we each took responsibility for who we are as an individual square?

          May God richly bless each of us with the wisdom and discernment to rightly judge our minds and hearts and lives that we may make the necessary changes to glorify Him.

          Your sister in Christ~
          Barbara

      • Sean, Your will is the highest gift that God has given you.

        He will never, can never, override your will. You have a choice to make, and according to 2 Peter 1:2-4, God has given you all the tools necessary to live the life of godliness in Christ. All that’s left is that we learn what those tools are (John 14:26), and learn how to apply them.

        At which point, I’m curious… where did you get the idea that God would override your will?

        Which further raises the question…. do you believe that your failures cannot be accounted for by God’s Grace (an issue I’ve faced)? Jesus dealt with this– for me, anyway– by John 3:17-21. God’s not looking for a way to condemn us. He’s given us a way to be 100% justified before Him. Jesus– John 14:6.

  3. Grace is a BIG word and covers so much more than our salvation. Our life as followers of Jesus is dependant on grace for forgiveness and power to live holy. Bobs comments don’t need to be added to but another referance is Titus 2:11-14

  4. Kind of blows away the theology I grew up with that you had to be “santified” (and you had to say it with a southern accent too) before being filled with the Holy Spirit. How on earth are you going to be sanctified without God’s help?

    • If the charismatic movement is of God, then i probably blasphemed the Holy Spirit at some point. Ever since i was a teenager or maybe 20 years old, i’ve thought of charismatic preaching as fleshly and not of God. I’m 43 now.

      Had great faith until i heard a sermon about how if you’re trusting in your faith, then you’ve made your faith an idol. I looked to God to empower my faith, and by focusing on that, i thought it was proof that i was saved. I used to have so much assurance. Now, i don’t focus on my faith as proof of salvation, and feel lost.

      • Hi Sean

        1 John says that God giving his Spirit to us is evidence of eternal life. Faith is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galations 5) and is one evidence of being saved. If you believe that Jesus is God’s Son and that he rose from the dead and you confess him and have a heart to keep his commandments, that nature comes from the Spirit and that’s evidence that you’re saved.

        I think our theology often complicates Messiah’s cross. God intended for it to be simple. I think my mentality is similar to yours, sometimes I go off on an OCD episode with my salvation and then the Spirit comforts me and reminds that I belong to God:)

        “Whoever hears my words and believes on the One who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, for he has passed from death into life!” – Jesus Christ

      • As for saying stuff about the charismatic movement, aside from the debate on if any of that is from God or not, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is something that is intentional and not something that happens in a spur of a moment – it’s a condition of the heart. If you have any remorse for sin and a desire to serve God, that desire and conviction only comes from the Spirit and someone guilty of blasphemy of the Spirit cannot experience that.

    • I can’t recall ever being told we’d be sanctified by our works although there was a miscommunication of sorts that we had a hand in it somehow. So I think I was raised in the same faith tradition as you. But the bible does state that we are to perfect holiness in the fear of God. So I liked the rowing analogy that made sense to me. But in the end all that we are, all that we attain is a product of God’s grace upon our lives. The salvation we secure in Christ and the sanctification we experience through our union with Him. Glory to His holy name!

    • I think of it this way. A small child lifts a hand up high for someone bigger to hold and that person reaches down and takes it. When I perform works- obey His law, study the word, share with love, help others in need, give where I can, obey His law(I know I said it twice-it is important), repent when necessary, pray diligently, etc.-I am reaching up my hand as far as I can. The Messiah with grace and love then reaches down to take my hand. I believe the more we study His word and apply it in our lives the higher we can reach but we will never be perfectly able to obey the law as long as we are carnal man. The perfect sacrifice of our Savior has bridged the gap between my hand and that of the Father. We will always need grace but we should WORK to be perfect even as the Father and our Savior are perfect.

    • At the cross, Paul speaks to this issue extensively in Romans and Galations. The law was added because of transgession. The law (works) cannot save us, it was institued to be the vehicle to bring us forward to Christ. Christ is the end of the law to all those who believe. So then where do works fit in. Simple works are the product of a regenerated heart. We are born again to walk in newness of life, by a new and living way which Christ made possible through the cross. We are born again to walk in good works, to manifest to the world the glory of God. Good works are then a visible manifestation of the indwelling Christ. If we have Jesus on the inside He is going to somehow be seen on the outside in some way. It’s impossible that Jesus could be in us and not in some measure affect our life outwardly.

  6. This brought the Martha and Mary story in Luke 10 into my mind and heart. BOTH Martha and Mary were equally loved by God but Jesus stated 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

    Martha worked hard and the work was needful but she failed to realize the dishes and even earthly food can wait when Jesus is in the house. Jesus didn’t say Martha don’t ever fix dinner or do dishes He merely pointed out that Mary had recognized dinner can wait while I sit at the feet of my Lord. Mary wasn’t lazy. She didn’t leave Martha to do the work alone. Martha put the “works” ahead of the relationship with her Savior. The same incorrect assumption happened to Mary again in Matthew 26 when she was fussed at for anointing Jesus with the costly oil. And Jesus said- 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Yes the money could have fed the poor but if they’d truly realized as Mary did that God Himself was in there midst the nudik’s would have remembered God’s ability to feed thousands and heal not only the sick but the sinner. They seem to me quite dense but then again we still struggle to this day with these issues. Yes the work is important and food and the poor are important but works and things and our decisions on where to place our priorities need to be viewed in more godly manner. Yes works are very important but Mary as she wept and anointed Jesus for burial knew that soon enough Jesus would be sacrificed for her sins and she WAS doing the most important thing. It’s very easy to let “our” works/work come into mind and miss the astounding presence of God in our midst and in our lives.

  7. God’s sufficiency, posted on the Oct 2 blog,”The choice to create must be acknowledged and confirmed by the choice to accept. The created accepts completing the circle to become and fulfill the Word of God.”

  8. Janes 2:14-26. Faith without works is dead. The sufficiency to work is received by Gods grace… but you must choose to do the works that God has pplanned for you from the foundations of the world; for we were created for good works and we are to walk in them..Ephesians 2:10. As I surrender moment by moment and choose to stay yoked; then I will be a good handle faithful servant… the problem? My flesh wars with my spirit and my flesh does not like the direction in which the Holy Spirit is leading.When I surrender to the Spirit…victory by grace.When I surrender to the flesh…I pull on the yoke…choke and sin.But grace is always with me… confess you sins and you are white as snow.Gods mercy is new every morningaand I have a clean fresh well of Gods sufficiency to drink from… but I must go to Jesus… I have not because I ask not…yet when I do ask… wrong reasons and wrong motives again… however His all sufficient grace is always available. Bottom line… who am I feeding? “There are two natures in this breast. One is foul and one is blessed.One I love and one I bate. THE ONE I FEED WILL DOMINATE!!!

    God Bless – Isaiah 26:3

    • I have a question. I have friends who are really interested in a television pastor who has an extremely large following and preaches prosperity, etc. along with the gospel.
      It just doesn’t seem right to have all that money and prestige. Where is the humility? I cannot judge this rightly, but to me it just doesn’t seem to glorify God, and he said the poor we will always have.
      Thank you for your thoughts.

      • “It is easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom…” That said I will also point out that He said “Judge not lest ye be judged…” It is not our place to judge others. We are to wisely use discernment and the guidance of the Spirit in our choices of who to follow…but we are not here to judge anyone but ourselves. “He without sin cast the first stone…” You don’t have to like the guy, listen to him, send him money, etc. You can share your concerns with your friend lovingly, but remember that we all have free will and get to make our own choices. We will be judged righteously by our Savior on the day of judgement for our choices and actions.

    • This is news to me, since i thought God was sovereign over all things and made us feel awful to the point that we were forced to stop sinning. I don’t feel awful anymore….does that mean i’m not saved?

  9. People tend to forget that it does not end with acceptance. Acceptance is important but true repentance, baptism, and receiving the Spirit are necessary. Living your life in obedience to His Law, reading His Word daily, praying diligently, always learning and growing closer to Father and Our Messiah are necessary. Do a search on blb on the word saved. Be sure to look at context. The Word tells us what we must do to be saved…repent, be baptized, call upon His Name, etc. If we really love Our Father in Heaven, we will want to know and do all that He desires of us, to please Him and never disappoint Him. This is our works for Him and the grace given to us by our brother and Savior’s perfect death, makes up for our lacking. Have a blessed day.

  10. IN ANSWERING THE QUESTION YES I DO BELIEVE IN GODS SUFFICIENY FOR ME AND FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST I AM TEACHING THROUGH COLOSSIANS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL. WHAT A MARVELOUS AND WONDERFUL AND ENCOURAGING LETTER THAT REVEALS WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST AND WHO CHRIST IS IN US. ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD DWELLS IN HIM AND WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN FULLNESS HE IS THE TREASURE CHEST OF ALL THAT CAN AND WILL CONCERN US. I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL TO SPEND TIME HERE IN THIS LETTER TO US.

  11. I do agree. When it comes to anything of eternal value, it is only in Christ sufficiency. With that being said, He does nothing else in this world with out our prayers and requests in the faith of His sufficiency. So we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. Trusting God that He is leading and guiding us through the Person of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.

    By the statement that nothing outside of His sufficiency has any eternal value is to imply His continue work on the earth. But since God work is completed in Christ we are left to work out this great salvation in fear and trembling. Here meaning that the rest of His Work is going to come from man working within God sufficiency.

    Of course this requires an relationship with God which is of course is the reason God created us to begin with and for which Jesus died on the cross and rose again and is seated at the right hand on God in power, glory, honor, etc.

    We are His bride in training for the eternity for which he purchased for us. So this life we life in Christ is to extent His work on the earth till the fulfillment of time when He come back for us.

    Amen.

  12. That we may move and breathe and have our satisfaction in Christ the all sufficient one. The Lord of truth and holiness-yoked to His heart alone-serving in submission to our King of glory. Not by power-not by might- but by my Spirit says the Lord—this is our Grace and faith in grace-His Holy spirit He has given us in Christ Jesus when we have been born of the water and the spirit of our redeemer. We are but dust and sinful without our will under His dominion. The prayer Tony B. wrote out- is a humble bowing to Jehovah in our need for moment to moment submission. Faith in the Grace we are given in this life to live according to His will-is an active on going love to live in Christ righteosness alone. How miserable we can become in one sinful act of disobience-may we walk ever so close to our dear Lord-Oh how I need Jesus. Oh how I need Jesus.

  13. Wonderful Words of Life!-Is why by the grace of God Iam still standing -His Victory- To God be the Glory for His all sufficient Grace. Tell of His marvelous deeds-among the nations!Sing praise to His Holy name among the heathen.

  15. Conversely – Man, of himself, does not have the adequate resource for anything (concerning physical needs). Of his own means he cannot live (without oxygen), he cannot (feed his stomach, quench his thirst) and he cannot (cloth his back). The sufficiency to accomplish anything of (human need) is from God(s) (GRACE) alone (sic). Gen 1 – Gen 2 HNV, Mat 6:25-34 HNV, Mat 6:34 HNV.
    J.

  16. Acts 2:37-40

    Now when they were pricked in their heart and said
    unto Peter and the rest of the apostles,
    Men and brethren what shall we do?

    Then Peter said unto them
    Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
    Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and
    ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

    For the promise is unto you
    and to your children
    and to all that afar off
    even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

    And with many other words did he testify and exhort saying
    Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

  17. Sean, it can get confusing at times when there is an absence of loved ones. May I ask you, why do you feel sadness that Jesus’ presence it not with you anyone? If you search your heart you will find the answers why He isn’t present anymore. “Let nothing separate you from the Love of God.”

    If you miss Him enough, invite Him back into your life. Jesus will come where He is wanted. This scripture stayed in my thoughts, so I opened the bible and read it for myself, the day reality came to me. “Choose you this day, whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15 It was then when I stopped and paid attention. It was Jesus calling for me to return to Him. None compliance would have changed the sound of His voice. It would be very faint and I would not hear Him as clear or as often as before. Because I was not responding to His presence as one of importance in my life.

    “Jesus will you come back into my life. Forgive me for my sins, blood wash and cleanse me and restore to me the joy of my salvation. I love you and have missed you and I now know, I need you every day of my life. I love you and miss you Lord. I am sorry, and I choose you over my job and everything in my life. Bless me with the wisdom I need to know you in a more excellent way. I choose you and want to know your will, your way, you loves, your likes, and your dislikes. Fill my heart with your truth that I will know the truth from a lie.

    I rededicated my life back to the Lord when I strayed too far that I could not hear or feel His presence. I invited Him to my prayer meeting. I prepared for Him all of my ailments, excuses, denials, frustrations, all my business and just told Him all about why I wasn’t fit to be in the room with Him, and then I felt His presence that I had felt before. He was there to comfort me and receive me back to Him. That was over 30 years ago and I have never left again. I can’t live life to the fullest without Him. Thank you Lord for forgiving me and keeping. I will trust you Lord. You have been so good to me.

    Apostle Paul says,” Today if you here His voice, do not harden your heart as you did in rebellion. Hebrews 3:7,& 15

    His Love for you is so real that He looks beyond your faults and supplies all of your needs, but you must come to him as a little child and surrender all of you to Jesus. Remember “you can all things through Christ who strengthens you” Philippians 4:13

    God loves you and knows all of your struggles. Just come to him humbly and ask Him what things you need to know and He will love you and correct you and heal you and bring you back to the place of wellness, wholeness if you just believe that He will. He will.

    Babsann