Seeking Perfection

Seeking Perfection

We all agree absolute perfection is impossible in this life – but what about a perfect heart of devotion to God? And what about a heart made perfect in love, which the apostle John clearly declares is not only possible, but expected:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 – NASB)

We carry about the “Nobody’d Perfect” mantra with such zeal and commitment that it paralyses us from striving after perfection. We have forgotten what our Lord said in the Beatitudes:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6 – NASB)

Satisfied with what? Why, satisfied with righteousness, of course! The King James version uses the word “filled.” Hungering and thirsting after righteousness will result in us being filled with righteousness.

Speaking of the discipline our fathers gave us, the writer to the Hebrews declares:

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God disciplines us] for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.

Whose holiness can we be partakers of? His (God’s) holiness. We are so convinced of our own inability to be holy we forget it is not our holiness God is expecting from us. He is expecting us to accept His discipline in our lives so we may partake of His holiness.

How Close?

(1992)

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him . . .” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

How close can one get

To the likeness of God’s Son?

How close to His image,

The pure and Holy One?

How close can God mould me?

How close can He get

The perfect reflection

To shine from me yet?

Some say there’s no reason

To expect very much

For mankind’s so sinful,

And temptation such

That it’s hopeless to hunger,

To thirst for that prize:

The soul that is blameless

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Photo by Stefan Kuhn. Used Under The CC0 1.0 Universal License