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Scripture for the day: Ephesians 4:12,13 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Thought for the day: Someone once told me they were perfect. They had at one time been conceited but then discovered it was a fault and had immediately done away with it in order to once again be perfect. Well, of course he was just kidding (or I think he was; I hope he was) and we all know that none of us is perfect, not in the sense in which we generally think of the word - never making a mistake, never forgetting anything, never losing our temper, never allowing our emotions to overrule our heads.
But isn't it funny how we can talk about perfection in just about every area of life except salvation? We talk about perfection in art, in science, in agriculture. We speak of the perfect body, perfect fit, perfect day, perfect lady or gentleman, perfect game. And we strive for some of those things, rightfully so. Why then can't we talk about perfection when it comes to our salvation experience? Why do we immediately feel uncomfortable when the idea is brought up? After all, didn't Jesus say in Matthew 5:48: "Be ye perfect then, as your heavenly Father is perfect"? If it's such an impossibility, why did the Lord command it? Has He given us an impossible command or is there something more we need to understand about this idea of perfection?
We don't give the idea much thought in the physical realm but there is no such thing as absolutely perfect art, science, bodies, ladies, gentlemen, or games. There is always some area in which we can find flaws if we but look deeply enough. There is always room for improvement in anything we do. And so it is in our salvation experience. We can never be absolutely perfect in all we do and say; our human frailties will eventually trip us up and we'll be caught being human again. That's not what Paul was speaking of when he talked about becoming a “perfect man” (or woman) and it's not what Jesus meant either. Surely He of all people knew how frail and bent toward failure is the human race. God has never promised us a perfect body or a perfect head, but He does give us the assurance of a perfect heart.
Consistently God has promised that, if we come to Him in humility, recognizing our own inabilities, He would make up the difference by providing us with an "undivided heart" (Psalm 86:11; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; 1 Cor. 7:35). He has promised that we can follow Him perfectly (in the sense that our whole desire is for the things of God and how we might please Him) all of our days (Psalm 18:30,32; Matt. 5;48; Colossians 1:28; Hebrews 10:14; 12:23).
Think of it this way: There was once a young man who had spent several hours working in his yard. The sun was hot and he was thirsty. His 5 year-old son had worked alongside his dad all through the morning, as best a 5 year-old can do, for he loved his father very much. Finally the man stopped and asked the boy if he could get him a cold glass of water from the house, thinking perhaps the boy's mom would provide it.
The boy was so excited at the thought of being able to do something more for his dad that he took off running with all his might to the house. In the kitchen he climbed up in a chair, got a glass from the cupboard and ran the water until it was nice and cold, just the way he knew his dad would like it. Well, the boy had been playing in the dirt all morning and his hands weren't the cleanest they'd ever been and he wasn't coordinated enough to hold the glass right so his little fingers found their way into the clear, cold water. Suddenly there was dirt drifting all through the glass but the boy didn't even notice. As he jumped down from the chair, some of the water spilled over the rim of the glass and onto the floor. As he ran out the door and across the yard to his waiting dad, more of the precious liquid found its way out of the glass and onto the dry ground. Finally, by the time he arrived at his waiting father, the glass was only half full and what was left was tainted with the dirt from the little guy's fingers.
Proudly he held up the glass so his dad could refresh himself. The father looked at the water, looked at the eager expression on his son's face, and drank every drop.
Was the boy's fulfillment of his father's desire perfect? Not by a wide margin! But what about the desire in his heart to please his father? We could call that nothing but perfect. And that's just the way Jesus talked about being perfect and it's just the way Paul spoke of it as well. We'll never be at the place where there won't be a little dirt in the water and there won't be a little water spilled over the edge, but we can be at the place where our only desire is to fulfill the most menial task our Father would bid us do. And His strength in us, His Holy Spirit working out His will in us, coupled with our complete surrender to Him can accomplish this. It's His goal for all of His children; it ought to be ours as well.
Now go take on your world. - Bill