Pursuing Perfection
Summer Neal
I was recently asked this question: “If you woke up tomorrow and your life was perfect and just as you wanted it to be, what would it look like?”
To say that this question caught me off guard would be an understatement.
This was one of those rare moments where I was left speechless. I really needed time to process the question asked and think on a response. After some thought, instead of finding an answer, I was just left with more questions.
What is perfection? Dictionary.com states, “perfection is the condition, state, or quality of being free from all flaws or defects.” Another definition is the action or process of improving something until it is faultless.
Perfection seems to be “the standard” in today’s society… the goal that all should strive to achieve. But is perfect possible?
The Bible says in Matthew 5:48, “you therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
If the Bible says that we must be perfect, then it must be a possibility, right? No, not by human’s standards or definition of the word perfect.
We were created in the image of God, but with a fallen and sinful nature. Only one perfect human walked this earth and that was God himself robed in flesh. Jesus Christ was the standard of perfection sent to earth for us to follow. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all ways as man is but was without sin.
While we are called to be Christ-like, it is impossible to obtain sinless perfection on this side of Heaven.
Matthew 5:48 is not a command for us to be perfect according to a flawless or sinless standard, but rather it means for us to be mature or complete. It is a call to stop trying to rely on ours or man’s standard of perfection, but to be made whole in Christ Jesus…the only true standard of perfection.
Luke chapter 6 tells us that one day Jesus went on a mountain and stayed in prayer all night. At daybreak, He called his disciples (or followers) together and chose twelve of them to be apostles, which is a Greek word meaning “ones sent forth.” These twelve were specifically chosen by Jesus, from the group of those who believed in and followed Jesus, to be messengers of Jesus’ word… to reach unbelievers throughout the world. They were chosen to spread the gospel of Jesus to all who would listen.
These twelve men must have really had their lives together to be hand-picked by Jesus to be in his inner circle, right? They must have led perfect, flawless, nearly sin free lives to be personally chosen by Jesus to spread His word to the world.
In looking a little closer into who these twelve chosen men were, we find ordinary, unrefined, uneducated men.
These twelve men were not scholars or priests. They didn’t hold highly recognized positions or titles.
These twelve men were fishermen and farmers. Matthew was a tax collector, which was one of the most hated positions among the people of his time. Simon was even thought to be a political activist.
The twelve chosen, hand-picked disciples were far from perfect.
Peter denied Jesus, Thomas was a pessimist who doubted Jesus, Judas betrayed Jesus and turned on him in exchange for a little money.
The disciples did not always understand Jesus’ teachings. They argued about who was the greatest among them or who was most important to Jesus. They left Jesus at times when He asked them to stay with Him. They were sometimes short tempered and self-centered.
But still they were chosen.
These twelve ordinary, flawed, and imperfect men were not likely candidates to be in Jesus’ inner circle, but they were good enough for Jesus. The priests, scholars and spiritual leaders of their time would have likely never given these men a second thought, yet Jesus chose them to continue His work after His death.
Why did Jesus choose these men? While I am sure there are multiple reasons why these men were chosen, one of the main reasons is because they were willing.
Matthew 4:18-22 tells us that Jesus saw Peter and Andrew fishing on a lake and called out to them saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they immediately left the nets and followed him.
Then they came across James and John in a boat with their father. They too immediately left their boat and their father and followed Jesus.
These men were willing to sacrifice all, if necessary, to follow Jesus. I am sure they felt unworthy of this calling, and I am sure they questioned why Jesus chose them. But honestly, why not?
I bet the religious leaders mocked and gawked at the audacity of the disciples to be used of God, but they were used in big miraculous ways…and God, in the end, got the glory for it.
The honest truth is that Jesus had no other choice but to use imperfect people. Just as the disciples were flawed and imperfect yet made a huge impact in spreading the gospel of the love of Jesus, we can do the same.
We recognize that we are far from perfect, and that is okay. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12,
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
Paul makes it clear that his life is a work in progress, but that he continues to pursue becoming more like Christ.
This should be the goal for us all… not the unachievable perfection according to society’s standards, but a life pursuing Christ.
What does a life spent pursuing Christ look like? Well, taking note from the hand-picked chosen men of God…to spread the love of Jesus to all.
In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus is speaking and says, ‘“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
So the entirety of the Bible is based upon these two commands… that we love God with all that we are and that we love our neighbor as ourselves.
The life of Christ and the work of his chosen disciples was based on love. Our life should be patterned after these commands as well.
I still do not really have an answer to the question that was asked of me regarding the perfect picture of my life, but I do know this… I want it to be patterned after these two commands.
In doing this, I will pursue God’s standard of perfection and not feel pressured to pursue an unobtainable standard of perfection set by society.
If you would like to know more about the love and life of Christ, we would love for you to join us at Faith Tabernacle. You can also visit our website at www.conyersfaith.org and click on “Contact” to reach a member of our staff for more information about our church.