“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23
“To work, to play, to live, to love!” – Schoolhouse Rock, “Verb: That’s What’s Happening!”
“Perfection.” A word to either strike fear in our hearts or spur us on to attain greatness. If you are like me, certain things have to be done a certain way. The dishwasher has to be loaded a certain way with the two different shelves, the car windows need to go up before you turn the ignition off, you go to sleep in a certain position every night, or you eat the first Oreo out of the new package every time no matter how hungry you are (this is a true fact!).
Some people, who have difficulty managing their own anxieties about how things are to be done, take things to levels they are not meant to be. For example, rechecking locks over and over again, sometimes for an hour or more. Or washing their hands multiple times, to the point where their skin is chapped and bleeding. These behaviors and many others of perfection can certainly be debilitating for well-meaning people, and mental health counselors are available to help them.
But what do we do about our own spiritual perfection? Will obsessive/compulsive behaviors help us? Jesus told us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is refreshing for us to realize that Jesus can do what we cannot — to change the noun of perfection and turn it into a verb. Through the power of the cross by the shedding of His blood for our sins, Jesus did what we could not. He took perfection and turned it into a verb, an act of doing, for our sake.
How will you let Jesus perfect you today?
— Mary Nuckols
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