There is an electronic billboard near me that frequently displays the simple message, “You Are Enough!” I suppose it’s a nice sentiment, meant to be encouraging to the morning masses driving by, but the lie it purports is both deceiving and damning. You are not enough. Neither am I. There is nothing any of us can ever do to be close to being enough.
If any of us were enough, Jesus would not have had to die on our behalf. The truth is, every human being is woefully inadequate. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). If there is to be any hope for us, we must spend the rest of our days getting rid of all sense of self-sufficiency and surrendering to the surpassing sufficiency of our perfect God and King.
On the one hand, you will never be enough to meet God’s holy standard, but on the other, you are enough to be damned to an eternity in Hell. On our own, we have no hope. Still, society and culture continue to tell us we are enough, we are good enough, and all that matters is that we are happy. Do whatever you want as long as it makes you feel good or gives you some sense of purpose. That is not why you are here. The Lord created each of us in His image (Genesis 1:27) for the purpose of bringing glory to Him, the only one who is enough!
Especially in the West, we grow up with a strong sense of independence. It feels like it’s baked into our DNA and if we aren’t careful, can become part of our identity. When our identity becomes anything other than who we are in Christ, we are usurping His claim on our lives. We are not our own, having been bought at the price of the life of God’s only Son (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We owe a debt to the One who gave Himself for us. When you give yourself completely to Jesus, He covers that debt with the blood He shed on the cross. You are not enough, but His grace is sufficient for you. Through Jesus, you are enough.
Do you think you are enough? Are you feeling good about all your accomplishments and who you are in this world? It’s not enough. Nothing in this life will carry over into the next. There is Jesus, and there is nothing else. With Him, an eternity in His presence awaits. Without Him, you will still have eternal life, but it will be spent separated from your Creator, separated from your purpose, forever in agony while knowing you can never escape.
There is no contentment apart from Christ. There is no meaning in life except for Jesus, no matter what lies you may tell yourself or believe from others. You are not enough. But Jesus is.