FREEDOM FROM PERFECTIONISM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4

“I don’t mean to say that I have...reached perfection.” Php 3:12 NLT

Nowhere does the Bible equate sinlessness with perfection. Paul said, “I don’t mean to say that I have reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” Our Lord knew that as fallible humans, we would occasionally fall short of His requirements. Therefore, He put a stopgap measure in place to deal with it. John said, “I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1Jn 2:1 NLT). Jesus was the only person who walked in human flesh who could claim perfection; therefore, He is the only one who is “truly righteous.” God is never surprised or shocked when we fail. He is all-knowing; He knows what we will do long before we do it. Neither is He disappointed by our actions, because to be disappointed is to experience an unmet expectation. In spite of our deeds, God stands ready to forgive us the moment we repent (see Neh 9:17). Also, when we come to understand that failure can be a key tool in our spiritual and emotional development, we will stop self flogging and guilt tripping. Instead, we will embrace the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, ask and accept God’s forgiveness, and move forward. Rather than asking, “How could this have happened to me?” or “Will I ever be fit for His service?” we need to stop and ask ourselves, “What lessons does God want me to learn from this?”WEDNESDAY,