If you are looking for perfection, there is only one place to find it.
- Deuteronomy 32:3-4 For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
- 1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
- Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
- Mark 10:18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
The LORD God Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God revealed as three distinct entities, He is the only one without fault or flaw. He doesn’t strive for perfection, it is His very nature and the essence of His being. He is inherently good, just and right. And it is in His perfection that we see our imperfection. God is the standard.
Unfortunately, we all fall short of the standards God has set in His perfection. Falling short of His standards and expectations is called sin.
King Solomon, the wisest man of all time, proclaimed that all people sin.
- 1 Kings 8:46 “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near;
- Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
- 1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Therefore, we must accept that no person (spouse, child, parent, sibling, friend, mentor, student…), group (family, workplace, club, civic organization, church…), or anything else that involves or depends on people is perfect. Other than God, everyone and everything (including creation - see Romans 8:21-22) is flawed.
But praise be to God for the glorious truth of the gospel message of Jesus Christ! That message is, when we are born again by surrendering all that we are to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are made perfect in position before God (see Matthew 5:48, 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Hebrews 10:14). That is to say, for the Christian, even though we still sin, all of our sins have been forgiven (covered by the blood of Jesus). Therefore, God sees us as righteous – that is how and why we spend eternity in Heaven with Him after we die.
However, with all that said, the primary focus of this devotion is not the righteous position before God of those who have been born again. The point of this devotion is to identify the Biblical means of dealing with the imperfection within us and all around us. How do people respond to what they judge to be imperfections in themselves, others, their surrounding and their situations? Typical responses include frustration, anger, pride, fear, guilt, shame, impatience, disgust, hate, despair, apathy, giving up…
However, in the simplicity of God’s perfection, He has given us one specific means by which we are to deal with imperfection. It is discussed throughout the Bible, and is defined as follows:
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
As so often is the case, love is the answer. But not the selfish, self-centered, needy, sexual love that the world is obsessed with. Study the verse above. Ask God to reveal to you His truth about Godly love. And then plead with Him to help you live it out.
In the infinite wisdom of God’s perfection, God has shown us what true love is. In dealing with our imperfections, He sent His only Son, who lived a perfect life, to die a sacrificial death to pay off the sin debt of the world.
- Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
During His life on Earth, Jesus, God in the flesh, the embodiment of perfection, was surrounded by imperfection. And He responded to this imperfection in obedience to God the Father and in love towards us.
- Galatians 1:3-4 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus modeled perfect love.
And God has instructed us to love that way.
Here is a very small sampling of the verses in the Bible dealing with how we are to love.
- Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
- 1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
- 1 Peter 4:8-9 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
- Matthew 5:44-45 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father 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.
- 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Love is the only Godly way of
Dealing with Imperfection!
Prayer
Perfect Father, I thank You for giving us a means to deal with the imperfections within ourselves, others and the fallen world we live in. Please Lord, by the power and truth of Your Word and Your Holy Spirit, guide us in living a life of Godly love. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.
