Have you done enough?

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18).

How do you know when you’ve done enough? After a big fight, your wife seemed happy with the flowers you brought her, but has she forgiven you completely? You’ve been careful to attend every school activity that your son participates in, but does he still resent the fact that you divorced his dad?

Some people are quite willing to let you know how much you’ve disappointed them. But most of us keep our feelings bottled up inside. It could be that you want others to see you as a person who is always nice and pleasant to be around. Or maybe you don’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing how deeply they have hurt you. And there are many people who have a hard time talking about their feelings.

The point is, most individuals guard what they say, especially when relationships are tense. So when you are trying to mend fences, how can you know if you have done enough to resolve the problem between you? Although you might be told what you want to hear, resentment may still linger beneath the surface, slowly festering into bitterness.

You never have to worry about this with God. In the Bible, the Lord has clearly explained what makes Him angry. He hates it when we waste time craving stuff we don’t need. He hates it when we lie and cheat and break promises. He hates it when we are rude and hurt each other. Most of all, God hates it when we ignore Him or treat Him disrespectfully.

The Bible is also clear on this point: there is nothing you can do to make things up to God. He created everything—what could you possibly give Him that is not already His? The Lord expects us to live every moment of our lives in holiness; you cannot extend your life somehow to make up for all the minutes you have foolishly misused.

Thankfully, God does not demand that you make things up to Him. Instead, to bail us out of an impossible situation, He sent His Son to make restitution on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus suffered the punishment and death that we deserve from God. He took care of it all; there is nothing left for us to do except fall to our knees in gratitude to Christ.