A Good Word – ἀρκετός (Enough)

I enjoy playing catch with our black lab Carlile in the backyard. Playtime could last for a long time and only ends when he or I say “enough.” Obviously, he doesn’t actually say the word; he just lays down with the ball and refuses to bring it back to me. I might actually say to him, “enough,” knowing he probably does not understand the word, but he does understand when I turn my back on him and go into the house. (Yes, like most dog owners, I talk to our dogs.)

In Matthew 6, Jesus urges His followers not to worry (6:25). He encourages us to look at the way God provides for the birds and the flowers, concluding that in the same way that God cares for them, He will care for us, since our heavenly Father knows our needs (6:26–32). Instead of worry, Jesus encourages, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (6:33, NIV). Then He concludes, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough (ἀρκετὸν) trouble of its own” (6:34). It is unlikely that Jesus means by this that we should be satisfied and comfortable with the troubles of the day. Rather, our focus should be on that which provides satisfaction and hope, the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We could say that Jesus is encouraging His followers to say “enough” to the troubles of the day and to walk away, to avoid adding tomorrow’s troubles to those of today.

Unlike playtime with Carlile, it is not within my power to pronounce “enough” over the troubles each day brings. But I can avoid borrowing from tomorrow’s problems; each day has enough troubles of its own.

In 1 Peter 4, the apostle asks his readers to have the same attitude as Christ, to live pursuing the will of God, not evil human desires (4:1–2). He writes, “For the time already past is sufficient (ἀρκετός) for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries” (4:3, NASB). In short, Peter exhorts his readers not to return to their previous way of living; rather, what was done in the past is enough. We should not continue in that lifestyle; we should walk away.

But “enough” is also used positively in the Scriptures. It is used of the character of God, reminding us that we can trust in His faithfulness and His provision because He is sufficient for all things, He is all we need. There are no limits to His faithfulness and His care for us. He is enough.

In 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul describes having received a thorn in the flesh to torment him and, although he pled with the Lord to remove it, what he heard from God was “My grace is sufficient (ἀρκεῖ) for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9, NIV). By “sufficient” or “enough,” the Lord was not asking Paul to turn his back and walk away; rather, He was asking Paul to walk toward the Lord, to trust Him to be sufficient in all circumstances, to be fully devoted to the One who is enough. Paul’s testimony from the Lord is not simply true for him but it is true for all believers in this faithful and trustworthy God. His grace is enough for us.

There are times in your life and mine when we need to quit and walk away, to say “enough” to worry, and to wholeheartedly pursue the One who is “enough.” There are times when we need to turn our backs on behavior that characterizes our past when we lived in unbelief and turn toward the One whose will we passionately pursue. May God grant us the grace to see Him as all that we need because He is enough. We need nothing else but Him and His provision. He is enough.