How much good is good enough

How much good is good enough?

I’m not sure about you, but there are times when I simply grow tired, tired of trying to do what is right, or trying to be good.  The question that begins to roll around in my head is “how much of this good behavior or this good deed is good enough?” When can I stop being “good?  It can become a struggle, particularly when we live in a world that seems to favor the “good enough” plateau in place of excellence.  We can simply do just enough to get by and move on to yet another challenge, where we have predetermined the level that should be “good enough.”  God has a different scale by which all things should be measured.  God has His standard by which our lives should be lived.  The Apostle Peter tells us this in his letters.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:13-16(NKJV)

Now, that would be a tall order for anyone to fill.  I know that I would never match my God with my sinful behaviors or even my sinful thoughts.  When Peter tells us to “gird up the loins of your mind” he is warning us of even thinking bad things.  I’m not sure about you, but my mind tends to go places and think things before I can even put a stop to them.  (I think they removed the brakes with the last surgery J) Anyway, I know that God wants His children to be “holy in all your conduct,” so my goal is to strive to be more like Jesus every day.  This is not the easiest of tasks, but how can I disregard an order from our God and not even try to reach this lofty goal.  I’m convinced that although we will never reach this status while on this earth, we are rewarded for our efforts. 

There are times when we feel that if we can’t make the mark, or reach the goal, then we need not waste our time with the effort.  But this is the time to drop that way of thinking.  Jesus reminds us of this when He gives His parting directions to His disciples, telling them to continue “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  We can make the effort each day, all day long.  We will never reach the level that we are striving for, but it’s in the effort that we see the glory of our God come through.  When we attempt to imitate our Savior in our behavior towards others, in our actions when faced with adversity, and our attitudes when facing evil, we make progress towards the goal. 

What we can’t do is behave in a way that will simply get us by, or be “good enough.” 

“in the world, not of the world”