The Challenge Of Being Perfect

Oh, perfection. If only we had the perfect life: the perfect husband, the perfect family, the perfect home, the perfect job, the perfect circle of friends, the perfect church family. Then we'd really have it made. Life would be great if we could just figure out how to be perfect.

The problem with this line of thinking is that nothing is perfect. In this life, in this world, nothing will never and can never be perfect. Sin creates that truth for us. There is no possible way to never make a mistake, never lose a loved one, never let somebody down.

Things break.
Bodies wear out.
People die.
Liars lie.
Cheaters cheat.
Thieves steal. 
Killers kill.
Lazy people stay lazy.

Then why on earth would Scripture tell us to be perfect? If perfection is impossible because of sin, why does Genesis 17:1 say:

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Didn't we just say that we can't be perfect? But here God tells Abraham that He expects perfection from him. Why would a loving, caring God expect something from us that we can't give Him?

The answer is bright and bold and found in the definition of the word God uses: be thou perfect. This "perfect" doesn't mean without fault or without mistake. The "perfect" God uses means something completely different.

Entire.
Complete.
Full.
Sincere.
Undefiled.
Upright.
Whole.

These aren't things we can be on our own. They have nothing to do with us, who we are, or what we're capable of. That's the other kind of perfect, the one that we struggle to reach but never really can.

God's definition of perfect focuses us on Him. It's setting God and His word in front of us so that we all we do, say, and think revolves around Him. It's remembering that His word and His grace can be - and should be - the motivation behind our words and actions.

This is perfection. God is perfection. It's allowing Him to make us entire, complete, and full. All things we'll never accomplish on our own, but everything that He can show us how to be.

My prayer this week is that perfection takes on a new meaning in our lives as we place God and His word in the forefront of all we do. That's what God's perfection is all about.

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