Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up? Of course you do. I remember having a conversation with my boss after I turned in my team evaluations. She said, “You rated your people too high.” I asked her, “Where do you start on the rating scale, at the bottom and work up or at the top and work down?” She said, at the bottom and work up.” I said, “I start at the top and work down until I find the right place.” In other words, her employees would never measure up.
For the ‘Not-A-Believer’ the Bible may appear to be a bunch of impossible rules, laws, and punishment. It may seem harsh & brutal, even confusing. Afterall God is a God of love, surely there could be no wrath. Wrong. “But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” 1 Peter 4:5. Maybe you feel like you can never measure up to God’s impossible standard.
“Good News.” Like the picture, everyone runs out of track when we are measured against God’s standard. God knew this, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ Romans 3:23. We also know according to God’s Word, “For the wages of sin is death…” But don’t stop there…read the rest of the passage, “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 This is why, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
But having eternal life with Jesus is not an automatic. Being good is not good enough. In John 3, Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader came to Jesus in the night faced with the realization of this fact. Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.” John 3:5-7
God’s wrath is real & certain. What awaits is God’s wrath when we die physically. But for those who belong to Jesus (Romans 10:9), “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:9
For those who choose to follow Jesus we have this promise, “To the one who is victorious (saved), I will give the right to sit with me (Jesus) on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21
Following the world’s way will always lead to never having enough. But Jesus never runs out of track. He is the creator of all things (Ephesians 3:9). Who will you choose to follow this day?
Today's Good News 
I never worried much about evaluations because I felt like I was always trying to do my best. As a result, my evaluations were almost always good. But it takes on a different approach when thinking about our final evaluation with the Lord. I feel like I am trying to do my best but the standard is very high. I cannot achieve what the Lord has for me to do without the help of the Holy Spirit and even then, I often feel I am falling short of His expectations. But it will be worth it all…..When we see Jesus and hear Him say, “Well Done!”! Oh Lord, let it be so! That’s all that counts!!!!!
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