Daily Devotional for Wednesday January 12, 2000

Being Perfect

(Matthew 5:48; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Colossians 1:28)

Being perfect. Sometimes we get complacent in our life, and lose that desire to be perfect. Because we are made of flesh and blood, and only Jesus lived a perfect life, we will continue to sin, and we will continue to fall short of the glory of God at times in our life. Knowing this, however, does not give us the excuse to not try. Trying and failing is one thing. Not trying at all is totally unacceptable to God and should be unacceptable to us. God has asked us to become perfect, and while there are several words in the original Greek, my purpose today is not to do an exegesis of these passages, but take them at our literal understanding of the word perfect and attempt to live perfect lives.

God gives us many challenges and tries to push us towards perfection. His admonitions in the Word and the scriptures that give us a road map towards how to serve Him are designed to make our lives perfect. You see, the closer we become to perfection, the more effective we are in serving Him. The closer we are to perfection, the greater He can use our lives for His glory. The closer we are to perfection, the more He can entrust us to do for Him. Our ultimate purpose in this life is to serve and glorify God. The closer we are top perfection, the closer we are to fulfilling our ultimate purpose.

God has called us to be perfect. My prayer today is for you to take that calling seriously and work towards it in your day-to-day lives. Knowing this is what God has asked us to be, not working towards it is literally rebellion and disobedience. If you are looking for that close daily walk with the Lord, looking for His blessings in your life, then work towards being perfect. Nothing happens overnight, so don't be frustrated. Set short-term goals and start working towards them. God will not only strengthen you and help you, but bless you as you strive to obey Him.

Never forget that I love you and care for you. For however long this season is to be, God has placed me in your life to encourage you and challenge you, and help any way that I can. Don't hesitate to email me and I will get back to you as fast as I can. I pray you will be blessed today as you accept God's challenge to be perfect.