“For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.” — Hebrews 10:14 (NLT)
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Perfection. It’s what a majority of athletes strive for in their respective sport. But it’s impossible to be, even as an athlete.
Athletes, coaches and broadcasters work on their craft, even when they are at the top of their game, because they know they can always improve. Hours upon hours are spent on the field, in the weight room, watching and analyzing film, just to improve a little bit at a time.
Take baseball, for an example. If a player gets a hit four out of 10 times throughout their career, that player would possibly be the best hitter in baseball history. The crazy thing is that this same player failed to get a hit more times than they succeeded. There is a common consensus that there is no pressure to get a hit every single time because it’s virtually impossible. Yet, that doesn’t stop them from trying to accomplish this feat.
Sometimes, as followers of Christ, the pressure of trying to be perfect can bog us down and add unnecessary stress and anxiety. The Bible calls Christians to perfection and leave behind their sinful ways, but also acknowledges that nobody, except for Christ, can live up to this standard. Romans 3:23 (NLT) says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” But the next verse gives us freedom: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (v. 24).
It’s a fascinating truth and one that often gets put on the backburner of a lot of believers’ minds. God wants His followers to be perfect so that they can spend eternity with Him. He recognizes that sin has corrupted this world and created a barrier between Him and those in the world. But that’s why He sent Jesus, His perfect Son, to die on the cross — so that those sins could be washed away, and those who accept Christ as their Savior could spend eternity in Heaven with God as He intended.
— Gannon Parker
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