Be Perfect

Be Perfect

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:48  

Athletes play with the objective to win every game. Let that sink in for a minute.  It’s true, isn’t it? Even though you know you’re not going to win every game you never step onto the field planning to lose. And losing doesn’t lower your objective. Your objective is to win 100% of the time and the reality that you don’t win every time doesn’t change the objective to do so. 

So it is with the objective Jesus gave his followers to live by in today’s focal verse: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We are always to live toward this objective, to perfectly obey every command of God. As C.S. Lewis said, “it’s not idealistic gas.” It’s not just some lofty platitude; it’s really what we are to live toward.  And the fact that we don’t live in complete righteousness should not change our objective to do so. 

When we stumble and fail in our efforts to live up to the Lord’s commands he promises forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) He will help us back to our feet and his objective for us will remain unchanged: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

A good way to pursue this objective with greater consistency is to stay focused on Jesus’ answer when he was asked to identify the greatest commandment. “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). To “be perfect” start here. 

Are you living toward the Lord’s objective to “be perfect” or have you settled for a lower standard?