#MeditationMonday – Out of the abundance of a man’s heart, his mouth speaks.

Beloved, I give thanks to God for the breath of life in you this wonderful day! May the mercies of the Lord accompany you through every trial you encounter this week. Today’s #MeditationMonday verse is: Matthew 5:48

  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

— Matthew 5:48 (KJV)

We tend to see perfection as one giant myth, but how can an instruction from God be a myth? Surely it is possible to achieve perfection if God has asked commanded us to do so.

For many years I pursued perfection, tried to be the best I could in appearance, academics, socially etc. I pursued what I thought this scripture was asking me to do, but I failed. I failed in every way possible till God showed me that it wasn’t because perfection was impossible, it was because I’d misunderstood what perfection meant.

Well then what does perfection mean?

How Does God See Perfection?

God sees perfection as: wait for it, *boom boom booom*  holiness. Perfection isn’t about the earthly things: the perfect husband, the perfect wife, perfect kids, perfect degree, perfect job etc. If we go looking in all these places to fulfil this scripture, we miss out on the actual commandment. Scripture says to be perfect even as our father in heaven is perfect. How is God in heaven perfect in a way that is different from men on earth? It is that He is holy. God’s holiness is what makes Him who He is and what makes Him perfect. Not His appearance or His lovingkindness or His benefits. It’s holiness!

Perfection is being as our father in heaven, and that is being holy. The primary nature of God is not love, it is holiness. The angels cry holy! holy! holy! not love! love! love! God cares about justice and vengeance too, that’s a part of His holiness and perfection. A holiness and perfection that we must strive towards in our daily lives.

Perfection is a mindset, it has nothing to do with our outward appearance. Our outward/physical appearance is already perfect so any such thing as “loving my imperfections” is just crap sent by the devil to cause self-esteem issues. All this secular mumbo jumbo about:

“Nobody is perfect”

“Nobody can be perfect”

“I can’t be perfect”

“Perfection is about loving my imperfections”

It is all nonsense. Absolute nonsense. If I have a crooked nose or eyebrows that aren’t “on fleek” we don’t have to call them “imperfections” that make us perfect or things we have to love anyway. No, God didn’t make us with any imperfections. We are beautifully and wonderfully made, says the Lord. Every single one of us. It is the world that has conditioned our minds to think that those who fall below its standard are imperfect. We must wean ourselves off such secular thinking!

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

— Romans 12:2 (KJV)

We can achieve perfection by renewing our minds daily with God’s word. This will help us change our mindset to one that’s in tune with the will of God. Anyone who is in tune with God’s will is in tune with His heart and mindset. The mindset of God is Holiness; when we make this our mindset we are working towards perfection.

It will not be easy to suddenly jump from the worldly attitude we once had to a lifestyle of holiness and the perfect heart ready to do God’s will. The word “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 is translated in the Greek Lexicon as:

τέλειος

One of the translations for this is the phrase:

G5046 – Teleios

“wanting nothing necessary to completeness”

 

We are always wanting something that we feel will complete us! They call it “human nature”. We say things like:

I’ll be complete, when I buy my own house…or…when I get that boyfriend… get married…to a doctor…an engineer….or…when I have a son…when I buy that makeup….that dress….those heels….etc. 

There is a problem when we need to buy, acquire or achieve a certain thing to make us feel complete. God says we must be like Him, wanting nothing necessary to completeness because we are already completely fulfilled in Him. It is a huge part of the secular mindset that we must break.

We have help in doing this, God will reveal to us through tests and trials the areas of our hearts that aren’t operating in the mindset of perfection.

Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

— Philippians 3:15 (NASB)

Wherever our attitudes are still mindful of earthly things, God will reveal it to us but we must be patient. Without endurance we cannot have a good result.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

— James 1:4 (NASB)

Again we see how this scripture resonates with the idea that perfection involves something that is lacking nothing. It isn’t about having everything, it is about lacking nothing. So before we run around saying “nobody is perfect”, remember: Holy people are perfect and it is possible to be holy.

A wrong perspective of perfection has misdirected so much of people’s time, efforts and money towards things that are eternally irrelevant.

I’m 40% sure this is how the devil laughs at those who chase worldly ideas of perfection, ideas that keep evolving. Brethren, let’s not fall into that trap. Perfection a 100 years ago isn’t the same as it is today but God’s standard of perfection stays one and the same: Holiness. 

Let’s meditate on how we can get away from stained ideas of perfection and cling to the mindset of perfection as it is in heaven.

Prayer: Abba, thank you for showing me that I can be lacking nothing just like You are. Help me to renew my mind daily and have an attitude of perfection that I may prove acceptable in Your sight. Dear Father, reveal unto me where my heart is lacking and cause my endurance bring a perfect result, in Jesus name I pray. (Amen)

Grace & Peace!