Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, faced a fundamental crisis which every person still faces today. In the garden of Eden they had to decide is God enough or can I be better off and more fulfilled apart from him (Genesis 3). Tragically they made the wrong choice. They chose to disobey God in order to gratify and exalt themselves. Although this approach was satisfying for a short time it separated them from God and the fulfillment that only he offers.
The same is true for people today. Having inherited a disposition to seek fulfillment apart from God, we distance ourselves from God. We put ourselves before him because we are deceived that either he doesn’t exist, he doesn’t know us, he doesn’t understand us, he doesn’t care, he isn’t involved, he isn’t good, or he isn’t powerful. To our detriment we conclude that we don’t need him or want him. Just like Adam and Even in the garden, we exchange true life with God for a deadly life on our own.
Fortunately, God loves us too much to leave us in this depraved state. He sent Jesus, God the Son, to save anyone who trusts and obeys him. Jesus has brought God to you so you can have abundant, everlasting life with him (John 1:1-14, 3:16-21; 2 Corinthians 4:6, 5:21; Romans 2:4-16). If you are like most people you have been seeking fulfillment elsewhere. Perhaps your greatest pleasure is in family and friends, wealth and possessions, dreams and causes, achievements and abilities, power and control, status and fame, freedom and independence, beauty and betterment, acceptance and esteem, comfort and happiness, peace and rest. There is nothing wrong with these in and of themselves. The problem arises when you pursue them before God. That’s the wrong order. Instead, your best life is found in loving God first and trusting that he will bring these other things to fruition in the process if they are useful to bless others and you.
God is all you need. He alone is enough. The very name he has given us to call him by speaks to this truth. God’s name is Yahweh which means “I Am” (Exodus 3:1-15). The name he chose signifies that he is eternal and an ever present help. As Lord he has proven this countless times throughout history like creating and sustaining the universe. Having mercy on Adam and Eve. Providing a sacrifice for Abraham. Delivering Israel out of Egypt and eventually into the promised land. Offering Jesus as a sacrifice to save the world and then raising him again. Giving his Holy Spirit to believers. Promising to send Jesus back to consummate his righteous kingdom, restore creation, and establish a new heaven and earth. Take time to meditate on how Jesus affirmed his sovereign sufficiency in several ways. Jesus rightfully claimed to be the great I Am, the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the vine, the resurrection, and the life (John 8:58, 6:32-35, 8:12, 10:8-11, 11:25-26). He summed up this glorious “I Am” truth by divinely proclaiming, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Have you discovered that God is enough—more than enough? Has his truth become your reality? Instead of just hearing about God as “I Am” have you transitioned to believing, “You are”? In other words, do you have a relationship with Jesus where you can lovingly say, “You are my bread of life and living water. You are my light. You are my door. You are my good shepherd. You are the vine and I am a branch. You are my resurrection. You are my life—my everything. You are enough for me. Nothing else in this world matters compared to you.” If you don’t have a personal, saving relationship with Jesus you can. God is calling you to be with him, to be like him, and to do what he does through Jesus. Give up your vain striving and give in to God. Confess your sin and commit your way to him. He will forgive you and fulfill you with his presence, his joy, and his blessing now and forever (1 John 1:9; Proverbs 16:1-3; Galatians 3:8-14; James 1:12, 4:8; Romans 10:12; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 1:3).