At Mercy Multiplied’s MPower Workshops, we equip men and women to effectively love and minister to people who are hurting and struggling. We cover topics like how to listen well, how to remember what your role is (and isn’t), how to safeguard yourself as you minister to others, and more. After a day and a half packed full of training and tips and principles and Scripture, every single workshop we’ve held over the past five years has ended the exact same way – with this passage from John 15:

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 (TPT)

The reason we end our workshops with this scripture is that we can give you all the tips and advice and principles in the world, but at the end of the day…you are not enough. I know. It stings. In a culture that is all about self-esteem and self-confidence, that’s not a super popular thing to say. But stick with me here…

You are not enough. And I am not enough. Why? Because we are NOT GOD. I don’t know about you, but I have never been more aware of my own limitations than I have during this global pandemic. I am very aware that I don’t have all the answers, all the wisdom, all the strength, all the energy, all the strategy. I am limited. I am not enough. And guess what? That is OKAY. Actually it’s more than okay; it’s the most liberating truth for me to know.

If I’ve learned anything over these past weeks, it’s that if I try to live each day solving human problems with human resources in human strength, I will always be lacking. But I was recently challenged by a question posed in Jennie Allen’s book Nothing to Prove. She asks: What if we actually started doing life WITH God? Because the passage from John 15 tells us that He is the vine. He is the source. And friends, this is a game-changer, because if I choose to do life every day WITH Him – using His resources and His strength and His strategy – there will be more than enough. Because He is more than enough.

I have had A LOT OF MOMENTS OF NEED over these past couple of months. But I have found that as I’ve connected to Him as my Source each day, He has met every last one of my needs, big or small, with new mercies every morning. I don’t know what you might be needing today – energy, peace, patience, joy, provision, hope, rest for your soul – but I do know that He is enough. And if you choose to do life WITH Him, connected to Him, every need you have will be met by His abundance.

Understanding and believing this truth is what frees you up to live without the burden of self-sufficiency weighing you down. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11 that his burden is actually light. As The Message paraphrase puts it, Jesus says, “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” That’s why we end every MPower Workshop with this point; we want people to be able to love and minister to others in a free and light and life-giving way. (P.S. we would love to have you at a future workshop!

But friends, this goes for every single area of our lives! Whether I’m ministering to someone in need, completing a spreadsheet for my boss, or feeding breakfast to my 1-year-old, I am not enough. And I am done trying to be. I’m going to ask God every day what it looks like for me to connect to Him as the vine, to do life WITH Him. Would you join me? Because I’m here to tell you that you are not enough. And that’s the best news you could hear today. Because the One who lives inside of you is.

Our Outreach Services exists to equip churches, educate leaders, and empower individuals. Listen to our most recent MercyTalk podcast episode “Why Roots Matter.”

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