Would Jesus Be Enough If You Lost Everything?

If you lost it all, but still had Jesus, would Jesus be enough?

This question has been nagging me like a bored child.

I want to puff out my chest and say, “Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt.” It’s the right answer, but I’m not sure that’s always been true for me.

Honestly, it was always Jesus plus (fill in the blank).

• Jesus and a wife will be enough.
• Jesus and a good job will be enough.
• Jesus and success will be enough.
• Jesus and healthy kids will be enough.
• Jesus and a new home for my growing family will be enough.
• Jesus and financial security will be enough.

Most of us come to faith with a hidden list of requirements, stipulations for what God must do to for us to be content.

Well, what happens when you get everything you wanted, but it’s still not enough? You have that picture-perfect life you’ve always dreamed of, and there’s still something missing.

You become like King Solomon. He had more money, power, fame, knowledge, and worldly pleasures than we could ever dream, and at the end of it all, he concluded, “All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

Worse, what happens when life doesn’t go as planned? You thought God would make everything better, but things keep getting worse. Will you blame God for your trouble? Will you begin to doubt his existence because he didn’t deliver the health, wealth, and happiness you ordered? I’ve been there before.

It’s hard not to buy the lie that following Jesus will make every day better.

The prosperity gospel has infiltrated the American church more than we know. So when things don’t go our way, we blame God, and when things do go our way, we take the credit for following God so well. It’s a trap either way.

We all need to get to the place, where if God decided to allow everything to be taken away from us like Job, our faith and hope in Jesus would be enough.

Could you still follow Jesus if you lost your money, your home, or God forbid, a loved one?

There’s nothing of higher worth than knowing Christ. Jesus is better than cash in the bank. He’s greater than all the trophies the world can give.

Why? Because at the end of your life, everything we pile up on earth I will be no more, like a stack of paper in a flame. And all we’ll have to show when we stand before God is our relationship with Christ.

Did we follow him with everything we had? Did we give them our best? Do we love those he loved? Did we oppose the things he hates? Do we make the most of our days to bring glory and honor to him?

Or at the end of it all, did we build a paper kingdom, filled with self-indulgent memories and regrets?

Solomon, at the end of his legendary pursuit of happiness, concludes that the only thing in life that matters is this: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

You don’t know what you have until you lose it all, but all you have is nothing if you aren’t willing to give it all for Christ.

I’ve been on a journey to find contentment only in Jesus. I challenge you to do the same.

When you find your contentment in Jesus, you count all the good things in life a blessing, and all the bad a test. And no matter what happens today, you know your future is secure in eternity with Christ. Your only concern is bringing as many people with you as you can.

Can you, like Paul, honestly say that you consider all things rubbish compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:8)?

Is Jesus enough of a reward, or have you handed God a list of requirements?