WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
AUGUST 19, 2026
TOPIC: NOBODY IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR HEAVEN
BY T. O. BANSO
“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’” (Matthew 19:16 New King James Version).
Many people believe in life after death. Most think that when humans die, they will go to heaven. The only disagreement is about how. Different religions teach different paths.
Most religions teach that to get to heaven, one must strive to be good. One must get rid of all forms of immorality, clean up one’s life, do good works, and make oneself acceptable to God. They believe that once one does all this, one will have a free passage to heaven.
But the question is how much life-cleansing can one do that will be acceptable to God? When is a person’s cleanup good enough for God? Is it possible for someone to live without any fault? The only sincere answer is that nobody can, by his efforts, succeed in presenting himself acceptable to God to qualify for heaven.
The standards of God are too high for anyone to meet by his own strength to qualify for heaven. However, some people do not realise this yet and so continue in the self-delusion that their works or self-righteousness can earn them entrance into heaven. But God knows very well that no human striving for perfection is good enough to get anyone into heaven.
In Matthew 19:16, a man came to Jesus and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (New King James Version). Obviously, the question was wrong, because nothing good that anyone can do will earn eternal life. Nevertheless, Jesus answered the man. At the end of their conversation, the man who claimed to have kept the commandments from his youth went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This was because Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, he should go sell what he had and give it to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven. Jesus said he should then come and follow Him. But the young man couldn’t do so. His possessions were more important to him than the eternal life he had said he wanted to have.
Nobody can earn his way to heaven. Some people think they are better than others because they do not sin as much as others do. But their good record is not good enough for heaven. Nobody’s good works will grant him access to heaven. The rules and regulations prescribed by different religions to get to heaven can never make anyone good enough for heaven. Even if it is possible to keep all the rules and regulations, man will still fall short of the standards of God, as it was with the young man who left Jesus sorrowful. No human being will ever enter heaven by his own efforts.
No one is good enough for heaven. Human righteousness can never satisfy the justice of God. Psalm 143:2b says that in God’s sight, no one living is righteous. The apostle Paul says in Romans 3:20a that by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in God’s sight. The prophet Isaiah said we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
Rules and regulations cannot make man good enough for heaven. Trying to please God by keeping the Old Testament laws cannot make man perfect and pleasing to God. That’s why God sent His Son, Jesus, to prepare human beings for heaven by dying for our sins and imputing to us His righteousness instead of our righteousness, which cannot save us. God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Salvation does not come through human efforts to be righteous. Titus 3:5 says that it is not by works of righteousness which we have done that God saved us, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Qualifying for heaven is not about human efforts to be perfect. You must believe in Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Salvation is by grace, not by works. By grace, we have been saved (Ephesians 2:5). “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8 New King James Version).
It doesn’t mean that you should not do good deeds or live uprightly. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 that we should let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Furthermore, Ephesians 2:10 states that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. According to Titus 2:14, Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Nevertheless, nothing good anyone does can qualify him for heaven. Good works do not save us, but we are saved to do good works. Nobody must promote his good works above Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
It is grace that qualifies us for heaven, not self-righteousness or our good works. 2 Timothy 1:9 says that God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
Apart from Christ’s redemptive work, every good thing we take pride in becomes useless. Paul understood this very well. He said in Philippians 3:7-9, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (New King James Version).
What do you pride yourself on concerning entering heaven? Is it the rules and regulations of your religion or the law in the Bible you are keeping? Is it your holiness or uprightness? Nobody is good enough for heaven. A man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ; by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).
How are you preparing for life after death? Are you following God’s way to heaven or your own way? “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13 New King James Version). Have you repented of your sins and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Nobody can make it to heaven apart from Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must repent of your sins and confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for the redemptive work of Your Son on the cross. I will not promote my good works above the redemptive work of Jesus. Holy Spirit, help me to follow Jesus to the end of my life on earth. I pray that all those who have not repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour will do so. They will follow Him as the way, the truth, and the life. They will turn away from the broad way that leads to destruction, and enter by the narrow gate, in Jesus’ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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