4 Actions to Guard Against Self-Sufficiency
By Michael Kelley
Self-sufficiency is not necessarily a bad thing. There are loads of verses in Proverbs extolling the virtue of hard work and discipline. First Timothy 5 tells us that if someone doesn’t work hard and provide for his own family then he’s worse than an unbeliever.
So self-sufficiency isn’t a bad thing. But it is a poor substitute for faith.
Surely this is one of the reasons Jesus told us that we should pray for our daily bread. Bread was the most basic element of the diet in Jesus’ day. To pray for it on a daily basis is to remind ourselves that we are radically dependent on God for all we have, and that’s an easy thing to forget. So how can we guard against that kind of self-sufficiency? The kind that replaces faith?
Mark 6 helps us know. Beginning in verse 30, we find the only story that is recorded in all four gospels - the feeding of the 5,000. The long and short of the story is this - the disciples return to Jesus after having been sent out on a mission trip of their own. They were, by all counts, successful - they taught, drove out demons, and performed miracles - and now they were returning to report back in.
But what they found was a tremendous crowd of people. Even when Jesus tried to withdraw from them to an isolated place, the crowd followed and stayed until late evening. This is when we see the miraculous multiplication of the five loaves and two fish to feed everyone on the hillside.
So what does this story teach us about battling self-sufficiency? That we should take the following four actions:
1. Tell yourself the truth.
In the text, Jesus brought the disciples to a point of desperation at which they had no other option than to acknowledge they were not sufficient, in and of themselves, to do what needed to be done.
Remember, the disciples were returning from a very successful mission trip and were likely excited to share all the stories that came along with it. But despite their intellect, their experience, their past success, and what anyone had said to or about them along the way, insufficient. Admitting this to be true is the first step in not only fighting self-sufficiency but also seeing the sufficiency and provision of the Lord. But it’s remarkable how slow we are to actually tell ourselves that truth, isn’t it?
2. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
In the text, the disciples looked at themselves and their past accomplishments. Then they looked at the size of the crowd before them. Then they looked at the size of the task Jesus gave to them. It seems they looked everywhere… except at Jesus. Their focus was on everyone and everything except that which is worthy of our focus. If they had refocused their attention on Jesus, they would have had a different viewpoint.
If we have our focus on ourselves or our situation or our responsibilities then of course we will find ourselves overwhelmed and anxious.
But if we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, we will find one before us who is more than up to the challenge. We will find an object worthy of our gaze, and worthy of our faith.
3. Bring what you have.
Yes, we are insufficient. Yes, our resources are small. Yes, we are outmatched at every turn. Just as the disciples were. But they had something.
They had the barley loaves - the food of the poorest of the poor as barley bread was the cheapest and coarsest of all bread. They had the fish, probably about the size of the sardines. No extravagance there. And yet in the hands of Jesus these meager resources were multiplied. Like them, we must bring our meager resources to Jesus and trust Him with the results.
4. We should remember.
Jesus blessed the offering. The miracle happened. Hordes of people ate their fill. And there were twelve basketfuls left over - perhaps one basket for each disciple as a souvenir. To help them remember for the next time they encountered their own insufficiency.
We, too, should not forget the great provision of God lest we are tempted to put our faith in our own sufficiency rather than Jesus. We remember so that we can do the same thing over and over again in every situation in which we are tempted to trust in ourselves. We do it so we can remember that Jesus was - and is - a better provider than we are.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.
