12th Commandment of Jesus: Be Perfect

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48

My grandmama, used to say, ” There was only one perfect one, and they crucified Him. ” 

That is so true. None of us are perfect, and achieving spiritual perfection is not attainable. We can certainly try our hearts out.  Where we fall short,  the work of the cross cleans and empowers us to get closer to perfection. Life is about learning lessons, improving and becoming spiritually more mature.

If you do not have a deep relationship with Jesus, if you are not  truly walking with him, if your life does not reflect His image, well you will stumble more. Stumbling is a part of life, but when we are living by our own standards, by our own “way” instead of “THE WAY”  then we become what they call a “Stumbelina.”   

Slow down for a minute. Get in a quiet place and do a spiritual health assessment. How are you doing? What parts of your life is not in line with God’s standards? Forget you have any washing from Jesus for a minute. Forget grace. Where are you falling short? And what can you do to clean up your act? 

Do you curse too much, do you stretch the truth, do you deceive, do you drink too much? Do you complain too much?  Have you been negative? Unappreciative? Are you mean spirited, a gossip? Do you talk behind people’s back? Are you controlling? Bossy?  Do you have sexual immorality? Are you greedy? Are you selfish? Lazy? Do you have a short temper? Do you judge? Criticize? Stir up trouble? Do you dishonor your parents?

Truly, take a minute to self-examine. What areas of your life need an overhaul? 

Perfection is impossible in this realm, so what did Jesus mean by perfect? “Perfect” is the translation of τέλειος, which carries the meaning of “mature.”

The goal for the believers is not perfection but full maturity. If a person does not stumble, then he is τέλειος mature(Jam 3:2). Our goal is to stumble less and less and when we do repent and correct.

Part of maturity also means letting go of fear, fear of the future, fear of people, fear of failure, fear of death and the list goes on. “There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears is not complete [τελειόω]- not fully mature.  So we have to work on our fear factor, except for our fear of God. More and more we are seeing people living crazy lives with no fear of God at all. Pretty scary. Not sure why the ACDC song, “Highway to Hell” is playing in my mind.

So if we fear telling the truth or if we fear losing a job or we fear a diagnosis, we may be human but we have not reached spiritual maturity. Pray in those areas where you feel you need work and ask God help you reach your full potential. 

Truly maturity is birthed through wisdom.

Wisdom tells you that there will always be temptation and thoughts or actions that lead to more sin. Wisdom tells us that murder begins with anger in the heart. So forgive. Wisdom tells us that adultery begins with flirtation, fantasy, vulnerability and lust in the heart. So run from things that fan the flames of lust. Wisdom tells us that if we break little promises it could birth a life of half truths or white lies or even big lies. Wisdom tells us when we hang with dogs, we get fleas, so be watchful of the company you keep. Afterall, birds of a feather flock together. But sometimes that is not a good thing if you want to change. 

Wisdom tells us that harboring resentment and anger, hurts us more than the other person. In fact, when we show grace and forgiveness the ones that have hurt us begin to question their actions.

Remember, unforgiveness sprinkled with anger is a wall that keeps you from feeling God, from truly enjoying life.  We must eliminate any kind of thoughts or actions that disappoint God and keep us from feeling his fullness and blessings. 

Wisdom Scriptures: 

Proverbs 1:20-22 (ESV): Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? 

James 1:5 (ESV): If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) tells us,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

When we pursue God, something changes in us. We are calmer. We radiate an inner glow. People are drawn to us or run from us, depending on their spiritual maturity. It is Jesus in us that is a magnet for good.

Make it your ambition this year to pursue God as your main man. Study him. Pray to Him. Go places where you know he will be there. Hang out with Jesus’s friends, people who know him. Do things that would interest him. If he hears about what you are doing will he be impressed? or turned off? He is your dream guy.  He is your perfect man and in your pursuit of him, you will be closer to the fullness of maturity. 

Get ready, your intentional journey will make you feel lighter, happier, more content and more radiant.  

Reflection: 

1. Make a list of personal clean up items. What do you need to do to clean up your spiritual life to attain spiritual maturity? 
2. Research men’s or women’s bible studies, online or in person- go outside your comfort zone. 
3. Spend some time in reflection and journaling. Pray to God to help you feel closer to him and radiate His love.