Are You Prefect Yet?

I hear it all the time. Quite frankly, it bothers me. “I’m not perfect!” These are the words of someone not even trying to live a life without sin. These are the words of someone who has given up the fight.

The Lord said, “Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 5.42-48

Jesus wasn’t messing around when I said these words. He knows what our potential for perfection is. It is true Jesus is the only perfect one. It is true Jesus is the only sinless one. It is also true that Jesus expects us to be trying, every moment of every day. So, how do we try?

Being perfect is about loving as God loves. Being perfect is about treating those who hate us with the same dignity as those who love us. Being perfect is about helping those who need help as willingly as those who don’t need us but invite us to help.

God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect to love us. God doesn’t wait for us to by loyal to Him to bless us. God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect to call us to perfection. Perfection isn’t a result of our actions but a way of acting in love.

No. We’re not perfect, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying every day to be perfect. Today is your day to live up to God’s call for you to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It all starts with acting in love for those who don’t already love you.