We’ve all wondered, “Am I doing enough to make God happy?”

But for me, I was addicted to it.

When I first became a Christian, I understood that I was saved by grace. But then I figured it was up to me to prove to God that He hadn’t made a mistake.

I transitioned from a secular workaholic to a Christian workaholic. I poured myself into doing good deeds for God, trying to make Him happy or at least avoid His wrath.

I had no idea what grace really was. And it took another 14 years as a Christian to finally figure it out. Here’s how it happened.

I was going through an epic business crisis and praying, “God, what did I do wrong to deserve this?” I reminded Him of everything I was doing right: loving Him, loving my wife, being a good father, conducting business with integrity, giving generously.

Then came one of the most profound experiences of my life. I heard these words in my head: 

“Pat, nothing you do will ever make you good enough for Me to love you. I love you because I made you.”

Suddenly, grace made sense. And it led to this week’s BIG IDEA, which I’ve personalized into something you can say to yourself:

“Nothing I do will ever make me good enough for God to love me more, or bad enough to love me less.”

Let’s do a thought experiment: Imagine I offered you a crisp new $100 bill. You’d want it, right? But what if I crumpled it, stomped on it, and ground it into the floor?

Would you still want it? Of course you would! But why? Because the condition of the bill does not alter its value.

It’s the same for you. No matter how tattered your life may feel, nothing can alter your value to God.

Maybe you’ve failed badly. Or maybe you’ve spent years trying to prove yourself to God. Or both.

Push the restart button and reboot your brain. Look again at Jesus and what He did for you. Remind yourself of the gospel of grace: You don’t have to earn God’s love. He already loves you. And nothing you do, good or bad, can ever change that.

Always on your side,

Pat

For Reflection and Discussion

• Heart (Reflect): Deep down, do you believe God loves you because He made you, or do you still feel like you need to do more to deserve, or keep deserving, His love?
• Head (Understand): Why is it so easy to believe we are saved by grace, yet still feel like we need to earn God’s love through our performance?
• Hands (Apply): Where are you still trying to prove yourself to God? What would change if you truly believed, “Nothing I do will ever make me good enough for God to love me more, or bad enough to love me less”?

Want to go deeper?

Read Chapter 2 of A Reason to Get Out of Bed or watch the complete Man Alive Bible Study that inspired today’s Weekly Wisdom on YouTube. You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.