The challenge of living up to God's standards

I press on toward the goal, to win the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:14).

People like a challenge. When you watch a professional sporting event, the most enjoyable games are those where the outcome is in doubt right up until the end; blowouts are not much fun to watch, even if your team is the dominant one.

It’s the same when we play games with each other. Even when it’s just a friendly contest, we want to win and play accordingly. This is why people like to gamble; the need to win is increased when money is at stake. But no one likes a lopsided game; losers don’t like being humiliated, and winners feel let down if their victory was too easy.

This even extends to video games. Most are designed with several levels of difficulty; there are easier settings for beginners and casual players, while tougher settings are available for those who like a stiff challenge. If game is too easy or too hard, people get disgusted and stop playing.

This mentality can sabotage our relationship with God. We want and expect to be challenged. Yet when we read the Bible, God lays down a very difficult command: Be holy, because I the Lord your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). Talk about challenging! Who can be holy? To be holy is to live your entire life without breaking any of God’s laws even once—no lies, no words spoken in anger, no broken promises, no wasted food or money or time. Anyone trying to play by these rules will fail—fail so badly that eventually they will give up altogether.

Jesus offers us an alternative to being perfect—turn your life over to Him, and He will lend you His perfection. This gift of holiness will satisfy God’s law; it comes to us from the cross where Jesus suffered for our sins. But many people reject Christ’s offer; it seems too easy. If you rely on Jesus for getting into heaven, where is the challenge? What happens to your bragging rights for achieving the victory on your own?

When it comes to salvation, there is no third alternative—either you obey God perfectly, or you allow Jesus to save you. Any other strategy results in failure. Thankfully, our Lord doesn’t want us to be losers; He guarantees us victory over sin and the grave. If you crave a challenge, listen to the Son of God and follow Him; even with Jesus’ help, resisting the temptation to do wrong is a plenty big enough challenge for anyone!