#216 - "But I'm Not Good Enough"

Proverbs 10:6 - Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God)...

Proverbs 31:29 - Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

Proverbs 24:16a - For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again... 

Have you ever read the Bible and come across a scripture and thought, "But, I'm not righteous. I've messed up. I guess this verse doesn't apply to me." With your head hung down a bit in defeat, you just accept that maybe the "blessings" in the Bible don't apply to you because you are just "not good enough."

As I began reading Proverbs this morning, I honestly couldn't get past Proverbs 10:6. I got a whole SIX verses into reading the Bible until I had to stop. "Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous." I sat and pondered that word, righteous. Racing into my head came all of the most recent times I've messed up. Maybe done something that I shouldn't have done, maybe having not been as patient as I should have been, maybe I said something that was 'off-color', maybe I acted out of selfishness. Immediately, the enemy wanted me to reject Proverbs 10:6 for myself, to hang my head in defeat and just accept the fact that the verse is just not talking about me.

I decided to look up "righteous" in the Hebrew to see what the original meaning was talking about. The same Hebrew word was used for both Proverbs 10:6 & Proverbs 24:16. Tsaddiyq. It's pronounced, sad-eek. Tsaddiyq in the original Hebrew means right in one's cause or righteous in conduct & character. I was interested to find that no where in the original meaning for this word did it say "PERFECT."

"But, I'm not perfect. I've messed up. How can I be considered righteous? 

How can these verses actually include me??" 

I have good news for you! Proverbs 24:16 says, For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again. The righteous. The tsaddiyq man falls. Falls. What does "falls" mean in the original Hebrew? It is the Hebrew word naphal and the definition includes "to fall short, to fail."

This righteous person, right in his/her cause, righteous in his/her character & conduct MESSES UP, FALLS SHORT, FAILS! Usually this righteous person has good intentions, but the bottom line is that he/she falls short and sins. Here is where grace & faith come in. Romans 3:24 & 28 remind us that we are justified FREELY by God's grace... man is justified by faith.

Though we may fall, we can KEEP GETTING BACK up! Though we may sin, the grace of God is there every time to forgive us and draw us back into right-standing with Him! Matthew talks about how many times you should forgive... not just 7, but 70 times 7. Forgive your brother over and over and over. If he/she is willing to come for forgiveness, forgive! And God is the same. If we are willing to come and ask for forgiveness, he will heed His own Word! He will forgive. Restoring us to a place of right-standing with Him.

What of the Proverbs 31 woman? She excels them all.... but just by knowing Romans 3:10 & 12, we know she is not perfect. "There is no one righteous, not even one... ALL have turned away...." Even the woman who appears perfect, she was not. She has also messed up! She too, needed to cling to grace & forgiveness.

You are deserving. Jesus went to the cross for YOU. You are the child of the Most High God! Being a child of the Most High God, makes you an HEIR! Have you ever thought about the rights of an Heir? Not just ANY heir, but the heir of Jesus. A "co-heir with Christ" as it says in Romans 8:17. Because of the grace of God, you ARE good enough! Receive the blessings that are yours today. And if you mess up, go to the throne of grace & receive the forgiveness that God is waiting to give you. He desires your humility to Him. Your humble spirit. He desires to forgive no matter how great or small the sin. Don't let Satan talk you into thinking you are not good enough! Because of Jesus, YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH! Go out today and be blessed!