Are You Trying For the Gold Standard?

 

When “Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough – Matthew 5:20-26

Dear Friends, let me ask you something that might make you shift in your seat: Have you ever looked at your life and thought, “I’m not perfect, but I’m not that bad either”?

I mean, compared to some people, you’re doing okay. You don’t murder. You don’t steal. You try to be decent. That’s gotta count for something, right?

Jesus is on the hillside, looking out at this crowd of regular folks just like us — people who grew up hearing “don’t murder” and thought, “Got that one covered.”

Then He drops this line that still echoes in my ears: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Whoa! The Pharisees were the gold standard. They tithed on their spices. They prayed on street corners. They followed every rule to the letter.

And Jesus says… even that isn’t enough.

Then He gets personal. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder…’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

Ouch! He’s not talking about the courtroom. He’s talking about the heart. Anger. Insults. Unresolved bitterness. Jesus says those things aren’t just bad manners — they’re murder in slow motion.

They poison the relationship, they poison you, and they block the very life God wants to give.

Friend, here’s the gentle but unflinching truth: God isn’t grading on a curve. He’s not comparing you to the worst person you know. He’s looking at the heart — and He wants it clean, whole, reconciled.

Is there someone you’re still angry with? Someone you’ve called names in your mind, even if you’d never say it out loud? Someone you’ve written off, or refused to forgive, or just let the resentment simmer?

Jesus doesn’t say “try harder to be nice.” He says: Go. Make it right. If you’re at the altar and remember your brother has something against you — leave the gift, go be reconciled, then come back. Because the righteousness He’s after isn’t about looking good on the outside. It’s about a heart that’s been made new — a heart that refuses to let anger win, a heart that runs to restore what’s broken.

Point to Ponder: God isn’t impressed by how good you look compared to others. He’s looking for a heart that’s fully His — and that heart is quick to forgive and quick to make peace.

Verse to Remember: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22 NIV)

Question to Consider: Who is one person you’re still carrying anger toward — even a little? What would it look like this week to take one small, real step toward reconciliation, not because they deserve it, but because Jesus does?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church