God Thought 3/1/23
Not Enough
By Sean Fryer
“And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”—Philippians 3:9 (NKJV)
Have you ever heard of a guy named Sisyphus? He’s a character in Greek mythology who got a horrible punishment. Zeus condemned him to an eternity of pushing a boulder up a hill, and as soon as he got to the top of the hill, it would roll back to the bottom, and he’d have to start over. On and on and on he’d go. You’re probably wondering what this has to do with you. This is an incredible picture of us trying our best to be good enough, earn God’s love, and save ourselves. When we live a life like this, we’re just like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill, only to start over.
In Philippians 3, Paul shares his pedigree or accomplishments with us. He did everything right according to the law—he was super religious, knew the law, and did everything he was supposed to do. Once Paul gave his life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, he realized that nothing he did was good enough. It didn’t matter how good his family was, how good his behavior was, or how religious he was. Nothing mattered! He couldn’t earn his salvation, but he also couldn’t earn God’s love.
Here’s the thing about God’s love: it’s not earned; it’s freely given. There are no conditions to His love! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV). And we don’t earn salvation, it only comes by believing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. This is good news. This is the gospel! This takes all the pressure off of us.
It can feel horrible knowing nothing you do is enough, but when you know you’re loved no matter what, that God wants to give you eternal life despite your failures, it helps you realize how much He loves you. So, what do we do with this? We are to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10 NKJV). We lean into Him. We draw close. We get to know Jesus more and more. We experience His power, we partake in His suffering, and we get to see the amazing plans He has!
Pause: Spend a minute thanking Jesus for being good enough for you.
Practice: Take a couple of minutes and write down different sins you’ve committed. Look at that list and be thankful Jesus forgives them all.
Pray: God, thank You that Your Son, Jesus, was good enough for me. I’m sorry for when I’ve tried to be my own savior and when I’ve fallen short. Amen.
Day 5 of Philippians: A Study for Teens
Youversion bible study
By Sean Fryer
“And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”—Philippians 3:9 (NKJV)
Have you ever heard of a guy named Sisyphus? He’s a character in Greek mythology who got a horrible punishment. Zeus condemned him to an eternity of pushing a boulder up a hill, and as soon as he got to the top of the hill, it would roll back to the bottom, and he’d have to start over. On and on and on he’d go. You’re probably wondering what this has to do with you. This is an incredible picture of us trying our best to be good enough, earn God’s love, and save ourselves. When we live a life like this, we’re just like Sisyphus rolling the boulder up the hill, only to start over.
In Philippians 3, Paul shares his pedigree or accomplishments with us. He did everything right according to the law—he was super religious, knew the law, and did everything he was supposed to do. Once Paul gave his life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, he realized that nothing he did was good enough. It didn’t matter how good his family was, how good his behavior was, or how religious he was. Nothing mattered! He couldn’t earn his salvation, but he also couldn’t earn God’s love.
Here’s the thing about God’s love: it’s not earned; it’s freely given. There are no conditions to His love! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV). And we don’t earn salvation, it only comes by believing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. This is good news. This is the gospel! This takes all the pressure off of us.
It can feel horrible knowing nothing you do is enough, but when you know you’re loved no matter what, that God wants to give you eternal life despite your failures, it helps you realize how much He loves you. So, what do we do with this? We are to “know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10 NKJV). We lean into Him. We draw close. We get to know Jesus more and more. We experience His power, we partake in His suffering, and we get to see the amazing plans He has!
Pause: Spend a minute thanking Jesus for being good enough for you.
Practice: Take a couple of minutes and write down different sins you’ve committed. Look at that list and be thankful Jesus forgives them all.
Pray: God, thank You that Your Son, Jesus, was good enough for me. I’m sorry for when I’ve tried to be my own savior and when I’ve fallen short. Amen.
Day 5 of Philippians: A Study for Teens
Youversion bible study
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