Who is Sufficient for These Things?

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?—2 Corinthians 2:14-16

These are some of my favorite verses in the entire bible.  They speak to my heart like no other because I often feel insufficient and overwhelmed by life...by things that need to be done....by things I think should be done...by the magnitude of life and the weight of the responsibility to get it right...not just for me but for my kids.  I am thankful for my husband’s example always, but I am  especially thankful for him when the task before me is great.  I am the visionary in our marriage which means I envision these great tasks, but do not envision how to accomplish them.

My husband, the detail guy, then takes over.  He reminds me that Rome was not built in a day and that I need to take one thing at a time.  (I need to hear this often). We then collaborate on the best way to accomplish our goal.    He breaks it all down into manageable tasks that my mind can handle.  That is NOT, however, what I am most grateful for.  What I am most grateful for is the reassurance he gives me that I am precious to him...that I am not alone...that we are in this together...that we are of one accord.   THAT is what is priceless to my heart.

The same is true for me with respect to my God.  In fact, because my husband, Bill, is God’s gift to me this makes me even more grateful to God, because when I see him and his godly heart toward me, I see Jesus.  When I see Jesus, I am reminded THAT I AM NOT SUFFICIENT AND I AM GRATEFUL!!!

What believer is sufficient to be Christ in this fallen world??   The answer is none!  My heart is lightened and my spirit reassured.  It is God who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  And He ALWAYS leads me in triumph!  I fail...I fall down (constantly), but that is okay, because I fight from a position of victory.  Christ’s victory is my triumph, because He fought on my behalf. Am I sufficient? Am I triumphant? Certainly not! - as Paul would say. But Jesus is both, and Jesus is in me. Thanks be to God indeed.