“I don’t know about you,” said that little voice in the back of her brain. “How can you think your relationship with God is really that good? You have been enjoying your life lately just a little too much and for one who says she’s a Christian I don’t think you have been doing enough. Do you?”
Wherever it came from, she heard it loud and clear, and for the next few days she replayed it in her head. So often did she hear it that she became anxious and started to lose her joy and her peace. She finally reached out for help. “What do you think?” she said to a friend. “Should I be concerned that I am not doing enough? I mean I still do X and Y. I just don’t do Z as much as I once was. It is just not very possible to do it right now.”
How much is enough? Are you doing enough right now? Trying googling “not doing enough.” You may be amazed. Who’s not doing enough? The United States, Israelis, Palestinians, Iraqis, somebody’s wife, the Pentagon, the Brown family (OJ’s in-laws), the IRS , Hewlett-Packard’s CEO, wireless companies, the Catholic church, and the Jamaican constitution. And, of course, President Bush. Somebody feels strongly that all of these and more aren’t doing enough.
Christians simply must not play this game. God did not design it. We can never do enough, but that’s not the point. We are saved by grace through our faith in the only one who ever did enough. Give your whole heart to the work of God, but give up keeping score.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10
and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Philippians 3:7-9
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Tom, thank you brother. I have been feeling pretty low lately in self worth. I had to push myself to church and to be giving to the children yesterday, which I am currently the lead teacher for our only class. Then going to a fellowship campus/singles dinner. But there I had a great conversation with a sister from Orlando, I met disciples I knew in Mass. and today I am greatly encouraged by your words. As we strive to "want to know Christ" we must understand there will also be suffering. Hebrews 5:7
ReplyDeleteThank you brother for this very encouraging thoughts. I am a mother of two and find myself asking the same question over and over again. I feel insecure that I'm not good enough, that I don't do well enough. But I need to remember that God doesn't love me because of what I do, but He loves me because that is His nature... I don't need to prove myself to my Father...
ReplyDeleteThank you. I needed to hear this today and will probably print and post it as a reminder. I was just asking myself this question this morning as I sat with my almost three month old! I'm no longer w the ICOC, but don't think that really matters anymore. I was baptized 16 years ago tomorrow and am grateful for my foundation bc my life is truly blessed. Anyway, I try to do the things I was taught years ago but find myself very busy with my three children. I can only accomplish a small fraction of "making disciples" compared to my past and seriously asked myself this morning if God was pleased? Am I doing enough? Thank you for your very timely message. I don't want to feel guilty that I am actually enjoying my life, bc I am. I really believe God has given me life to the full and I don't want my sincere joy robbed thinking that I'm not doing enough. Thank you, again. Be Blessed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this encouragement. Lately, I've been feeling quite happy, and have been more focused on God and the church and others than I have in awhile. But, I've been hearing this voice, too, telling me I shouldn't be happy and should be doing more. I do need to do more, be more, through God's help, but I want to get rid of the guilt whenever I feel happy.
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