Recently we visited Bro Bill Robinson in the Brantford, Ontario hospital. He had suffered a massive stroke and is partially paralysed. He has difficulty speaking but we were able to visit, discussing happier times and the glorious hope we share. He came out with a profound statement which is worth remembering. He said, “Good enough is not good enough”.
How true. Unfortunately in the world today there are too many who do a mediocre job and call it, “good enough”. Solomon told us: “whatsoever thy hand fi ndeth to do, do it with thy might”. We remember our mother saying to us, “if it is worth doing at all it is worth doing right”. We need to do more than just enough to get by. Good enough is not good enough.
In Malachi’s day the people thought that good enough was good enough. Here is how they were rebuked for giving God less than their best. “When you bring blind animals for sacrifi ce, is that not wrong? When you sacrifi ce crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try off ering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his fl ock and vows to give it, but then sacrifi ces a blemished animal to the Lord.”
Malachi accused them of robbing God and this surprised them. “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and off erings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the fl oodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
What a challenge God makes to us. Instead of good enough, God wants us to give our best to Him. Test me, says God, by giving me the best and see what I will do for you. Unfortunately the “good enough” type people will never experience these blessings because they are holding out on God. In the parable, the Lord told us about the wise and foolish virgins. We remember that they were all virgins and they all had lamps and they all had started out with some oil and they were all looking for the bridegroom. Th e problem with the foolish virgins was they did not have enough oil. What they might have thought was good enough was not good enough when their lamps ran out of oil. When Jesus comes it will be too late for us to run out and buy more oil. Do we have enough? Th e lesson is to have more than enough.
Poor Paul, when he considered the group of believers in his day, lamented that he had no one else like Timothy. What was the problem? “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” How many of us are Timothy’s and how many of us are like the rest? Are we busy looking out for our own interests and giving God less than our best? If we could do better and we are not doing better, why not? When Jesus returns will he be satisfi ed with good enough?
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Good enough is not good enough.