John Schneider

My wife, Kerri, and I have three children. We met at Florida State University. While there we both participated in the Florida State Flying High Circus. I graduated with a double major in Finance and Human Resource Management in the Summer of ’94. Since then I have been on Staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. I started with Crusade at the University of Southern Mississippi and am now serving as the Director of the Metro Ministry in Tampa Bay Florida.

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Good Enough

What amount of effort is "good enough" for God?

Story Tags

forgiveness, approval, high school, doubt, acceptance

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The biggest football game of my Sr. year in high school was over and we had lost. I sat alone in my car thinking about what had just happened wondering if I could have done more. If I could have tried harder or performed better would we have won?

That question not only had me on the verge of tears about a football game but it was also one of the biggest questions I had about God. What amount of effort is "good enough" for God? In other words, how could I know if I was doing enough of the right "good" things to please God? Have you ever struggled with this question or wondered if you would go to heaven when you die?

I had grown up in a religious home and believed it was important to go to church and try and be a good person. I had adopted my own rules for what I thought it meant to be good - don't lie, help people, don't commit murder. Things like that.

But...I couldn't answer that question. Was I "good enough" for God? Would He accept me into heaven when I died? At best I figured I had a 50 - 50 shot. I tried to be good but I knew I didn't even measure up to my own standards 100% of the time.

Well the summer after my freshman year in college I finally found the answer. During my summer job someone shared with me what the Bible had to say about the question. The truth was that I was not and could never be good enough to earn God's favor. That was why Jesus died in my place to pay the penalty for my sin. It was an undeserved gift from God that I could be forgiven not a result of my efforts.

Knowing this has given me great freedom. Unlike that football game and other areas of life I no longer have to perform for God. Now I know that He accepts me simply because I believe in Jesus and what He has done for me.