When is Good, Good Enough?
I know many people feel that they can never be good enough in God's eyes since He is perfect and we are not. However, striving for perfection doesn’t mean that not achieving it is failure. Jesus came, lived, died, and then rose so that God can see us as “snow white clean” if we allow Him to be our intercessor. However, everyone needs goals and standards to reach the sky... It is difficult to achieve goals if they are ambiguous. It is demoralizing to try to achieve goals we don’t understand. Having the goal of being good (righteous) in God's eyes has a very clear path if you read and know the Bible.
In the military, our goals were very clear, and we were normally rewarded if we achieved them. If the goal was to fly 500 sorties and we flew 500 sorties, we achieved a very specific goal. There were also “sub” goals of having a certain number of aircraft in fully mission capable (FMC) status, safety goals, and timeframes for returning a broken or “in for routine maintenance” aircraft back to FMC status. God has a similar type of goal achievement scale, but often people don’t see it.
Our godly goals start with our heart. If our heart is in the right place, then we DESIRE to achieve certain goals like being kind, compassionate, forgiving, loving, etc. Although these are traits, they are traits that come from discipline, insight, and the desire to please God. Since we are from the seed of Adam, we have a natural, sinful, and selfish nature that must be overcome to do what is “good enough” in God’s eyes.
Since this sinful and selfish nature comes with rebellion, it is often a herculean effort to overcome our “flesh” and do what is right in God’s eyes. Often times good enough doesn’t seem achievable, so people give up. The reality is that if you are following God’s commands and precepts, doing the best you can, then you are doing good enough.
If you have decided that following the examples and teachings of Jesus is too difficult, then your heart is likely lacking the love, obedience, and motivation to do “good” in God’s eyes. James 2:26 is one scripture that often confuses people because if we are judged based on our faithful belief in Jesus, beholden only to His mercy and grace, then why do our actions matter? Because the Bible tells us that what is in our heart is displayed in our actions.
James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” What this scripture verse is telling you is that if your body is just a piece of flesh without a soul that is connected to the Holy Spirit, then that body is useless (dead).
It uses this first sentence as an analogy that if you “claim” to have faith (in Jesus as your Lord and Savior) but you do not act in a godly way, then your profession is just words and you are not truly in Jesus, and He is not in you.
To put it more succinctly, when I was acting and feeling in my “human [Ego] self,” I acted in my own, selfish ambition and had materialistic goals instead of SEEKING how I can further the Kingdom of God here on earth. I first thought of myself instead of others.
Once I truly allowed Jesus into my heart, my actions naturally turned to godly things and pursuits. A person cannot have their heart and soul FILLED with GOD and still be a selfish sinner. The two are antonyms and cannot live together in the same heart.
Ephesians 3:16-17 “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with powerhttps://biblia.com/bible/niv/ephesians/3/16-17 through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rootedhttps://biblia.com/bible/niv/ephesians/3/16-17 and established in love, will fully understand the depth of Jesus’s love and glory on earth. (summarized)
In other words, there is no need to doubt if you are good enough. You cannot “act” good enough (like an actor), but rather your ACTIONS are a result of being faithfully and completely rooted in God. Being “good” is a natural state of being when God is your guide and you have decided to follow His example. Jesus KNOWS our heart and therefore knows our intentions, so even when we act less than perfectly, He will still judge us based on what is in our heart. The following scripture verse sums it all up rather nicely:
1 Chronicles 28:9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake him, He will reject you forever.”
In summary, I encourage you to visualize yourself as being able to achieve the goodness God expects from you by looking into your heart, thoughts, desires, and motivations. Every person can be “good enough.” It takes obedience and a true desire to follow/please God. It takes a relationship and dependency on God by TRUSTING Him to know what’s best for your life and following that path instead of acting out your own thoughts, desires, and emotions.
If you are struggling with not feeling good enough to please God, ask your Holy Spirit to help you with discernment. Pray and talk to God. Jesus says, “knock and I will answer; seek and you will find.” He is right there waiting for you to listen, accept, get filled with the Holy Spirit, and then your actions will be so righteous that your doubts and worries will disappear. You are good enough because God made you that way!
Prayers, love, and blessings, Lisa ><>
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