We are doing something a little different this summer to get us to study the Bible and search out what God is saying to us through His Word. We have been talking about the word "Choose or Choice" and what the scriptures have to say and what our experience with these words have been.
Now we want to look at the word "perfect". Pastor Jerry mentioned something on Sunday during his sermon - which was great and you should relisten to it on the web - and it struck something in me that made me begin thinking about how I see the word 'perfect'.
He read from Ex 33 and 34 and told the story about Moses appealing to God and telling Him that "If you don't go with me - I'm not going!" I have read that many times but this time Pastor said "Some of us expect perfection before possesion."
How many times have I stood by the sidelines because I haven't thought I was perfect enough to do the job? Or how many times have I told myself that there are so many other people around who do this job better than I do that I think I will let them do it? Instead of stepping in and doing it and possessing it as my place, I have let others take my place because I wasn't "perfect".
When I look up the word perfect on the search on this blog I find something very interesting.
Why don't you join me and search and see what you find.
Do you see what I see?
4 comments:
Perfect is what we strive to attain while we are on this earth. That is why we are trying to become like Christ and repent from our own way of doing things. I looked up perfect in the strongs concordence--it says entire, integrity, truth, without blemish, complete, full, perfect,sincerely,sound, without spot, undefiled, uprightly, whole -- I was suprised by the idea of whole or entire truth being part of the definitation, but it makes sense. If perfect is what we are striving to attain then we are striving to attain the whole truth of God and his Son. It fills us until we are without blemish, but we are have to contend for it while we are here not only for ourselves but also our brethern (sistern--is that a word?). We won't find a perfect person, family, or church, but if we are running the race and fighting to become the perfect person, family, or church, Christ will be in the mist of us contending and winning the battle for us because He is then a part of that person, family or church and He is interested in the 'whole' being made perfect. He saturates us (or fills) us with His perfection until the blemishs ar pushed out.
I looked up the word ‘perfect’ in the Thesaurus, and it gave a real variety: accomplish, consummate, crown, cultivate, develop, effect, elaborate, finish, fulfill, hone, improve, perform, polish, realize, refine, round, slick, smooth. Now, that means ‘perfect’ as we see it in the natural world we live in. What does it mean in God’s Word, or in His Kingdom? Every scripture I looked up with the word ‘perfect’ in it had the meaning, more or less, of complete. To me it means that I have done, or lived, or said what I know to be right, or complete. Whether God knows it to be so or not, He will show me as I realize that my human mind, and even my spiritual understanding is far less than His meaning of ‘complete’. He expects of us only what He has revealed to us, and when we are ready to hear and receive more, He will show us. So, in essence, I must live up to all He has showed me, and that is being ‘perfect’ in His sight. I ask the question as Crystal always does, “Does that make sense?”
Great comments and you are both saying the same thing. I don't think we can make ourselves perfect. It is only possible to be seen as perfect thru the eyes of God. He sees us as perfect as Jesus is seen more and more in us. When I looked up the word in the search on this blog the scriptures point to the fact that the only one who is perfect is God.
Deut 32:4 "....his works are perfect...."
2 Sam 22:31 "....his way is perfect....."
2 Sam 22:33 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."
And I also believe that that Crystal and Mom hit it on the head with the concept that the word means more "complete" and we need to adjust our thinking to see how we are in the process of becoming perfect - complete.
Matthew 5:48 says, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” My natural mind has a hard time wrapping itself around that concept! But I do understand it in my spirit. I love what the footnote in my bible says, “We can be perfect if our behavior is appropriate for our maturity level – perfect, yet with much room to grow.” I’m “perfect” in God’s eyes if I am acting my “age” spiritually . . . if I am acting appropriately on what God has revealed to me in a particular area of my life . . . and He holds me accountable for that perfectness/maturity revealed to me. Ouch! He’s holding me accountable this very minute regarding a family situation . . . and I am having a hard time with “acting appropriately” but His grace is getting me there.
It’s a process, covered by the blood of Jesus,nothing we can do on our own. We are to renew our mind with the Word of God and choose to act on what God reveals/teaches to us at each level of spiritual growth. As with our children, we expect/expected appropriate behavior at each level of physical, mental (soul), and spiritual growth and maturity. Jesus expected that of his disciples. God expects the same from each of us, based on our spiritual development, with GREAT grace extended to us. I need to extend the same great grace to others in their process of becoming "perfect". . . maturing in the likeness and image of Jesus.
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