Matt 5:48 Therefore you are to be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. NASU
Was there ever anything that Jesus said
that seemed more impossible than this? Perfect? How could we be perfect? We
still sin every day of our lives. Even the apostle Paul said that he did things
he didn’t want to do and didn’t do that which he wanted to do. If he couldn’t
be perfect, I am sure I can’t be perfect! Why would Jesus command us to do the
impossible? Take comfort, I don’t think He did.
The word for “be” in Greek is a future tense for the a word meaning “I
exist.” You could say it this way, “will be.” You may still be saying, “But
that is still impossible, I cannot envision even a time in my future where I
will be perfect!” That is understandable, especially if you will read the
context in which Jesus is saying this (Lk 5). He has just finished telling His
disciples several things that they should do such as:
· Love your enemies
· Pray for those who persecute you
· Give people more than they ask of you materially and time
wise
· Turn the other cheek when someone slaps you and many other
difficult commands, which seem impossible to keep.
Is this really the expectation level the Lord has for the
believer?
The word perfect in Greek is teleioi.
It comes from the word telos which means, “end,” “goal” or “limit.” It is
sometimes translated as complete or mature. The idea here is that we are moving
toward this end. We are becoming more and more like our Savior, doing His will
more often. We are in modern vernacular, “works in progress.” It needs to be
the major goal of our lives as Christians.
Even so it seems difficult to always be
striving for that goal, does it not? Well, the good news is that as a believer
in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living in you to empower you towards that
end. That’s why Paul could say in Phil 1:6 “For I am confident of this very
thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of
Christ Jesus.” NASU
There are two great encouragements in
that verse. One, we don’t have the
power to do this on our own. That’s ok, God provides the power for us. That is
why the bible tells us, "With
people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26 NASU, emphasis mine) Two,
there will come a day when we have been perfected. We don’t know when that day
is but we can certainly look forward to it.
So, don’t shy away from this call to
perfection but embrace it. Make it your desire to follow the Lord’s
instructions to the uttermost and let His Holy Spirit empower you to do it. It won’t mean striving, but thriving in
the “Living Water” Jesus promised!
John 7:37-39 "If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. "He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living
water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him
were to receive; NASU
If you have put your faith and trust in
Christ, but you have not experienced this overflowing power in your life, ask
the Lord to baptize you in the Holy Spirit as it says in Acts 1:5 and 11:16.
If you have not yet put your trust in
Christ, I urge you to do that today and you can experience the Living Water
that Jesus promises to all believers.
God Bless You
Coach
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