National President, UESI

Our Sufficiency, Confidence, and Competence comes from God. II Cor 4 & 5

New Year greetings in the matchless name of our Lord! Thank God for His presence, protection, and His providence all through the year that has gone by. New challenges are staring at us as individuals and fellowship in the year ahead. We need to regain the lost ground and reach out to the unreached. We know our inadequacy in facing those challenges with our strength.

Let us not forget that we – the students, graduates, and staff – are Servants of Christ (I Cor. 4:1) & Servants of Students for Jesus’ sake (II Cor. 4:6). Our Lord considered us trustworthy and entrusted us with this task of reaching students of this vast populous, diverse nation and disciple them to be servant leaders impacting the nation and church of India. He is the one who enables us and gives us the needed wisdom and strength to serve Him faithfully (I Tim. 1:12). Discipleship is enabled and empowered by the Power of God and the Presence of God – Math. 28: 18-20. Though we are inadequate and incompetent our confidence and competence comes from our all-sufficient God. II Cor. 3:4,5

God has entrusted to us the ministry of the new covenant – It’s glorious! Glory all the way! Increasing glory. much more glory…greater glory…surpassing glory. Glory mentioned 9 times between v7 & v11. Ministry is glorious because God is in it! It brings righteousness & life. What a privilege it is for us to have been entrusted with such a glorious ministry. May we fulfill this God-given task for His glory. II Tim. 4:5

God has appointed us ministers of the New covenant – II Cor.3:6. As ministers of God we need to be

1. The pleasing aroma of Christ – We are to God the aroma of Christ. II Cor. 2:15
2. Sent from God & Speak before God – In Christ, we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 2:17
3. Our Confidence through Christ before God – We have confidence in God through Christ. II Cor. 3:4
4. Our Competence comes from God – Not that we are competent in ourselves…but our competence comes
   from God. II Cor. 3:5

In short, all we are and everything we do is centered around God!

The apostle Paul recognized his utter helplessness, inadequacy, insufficiency & active dependence on the Power of God to accomplish anything of lasting value. He is not relying on his self-confidence or self-acquired competence. His confidence and competence in doing God’s ministry were not on human resources but on divine ones! Let’s not depend on our expertise, experience, exposure, eloquence, talents, and gifts. We will not be able to do anything without Him (Jn. 15:4) but will be able to do everything through Him (Phil. 3:14). Our confidence & competence are in Him alone and Him always.

Let us also be reminded of our Thrust area ‘Caring & Growing’ – We are growing into the image of Christ through caring for one another. Let us be challenged in the name of the Lord to take care of every student & young graduate and pray for every college in the country.

May the Lord help us to rely on Him, obey Him in all that we do in this new year 2023, and bring glory to God.