Articles
Does God Want Me to be Perfect
In the world’s activities, we seem to always strive for perfection. In school, we work to get a perfect test score. In sports, we hope to play a perfect game. We hope in the kitchen to cook a perfect meal. We try and keep our lawns perfect. By perfect, we mean without any mistakes. So, is it not a fair question to ask ourselves “Does God want me to be perfect in my service to Him?”
We are told God wants us to put everything we have into our service to Him. Romans 1:9 tells us to serve God with “our spirit.” Romans 7:25 tells us to serve God with “our mind.” I Thess. 5:23 tells us to serve God with “our whole spirit, soul and body.” So yes, I believe God wants us to strive to be perfect in our service to Him. In our pursuit of perfection we realize as Romans 3:23 tells us, that we “all sin.” Regardless of this statement, we must still strive to live a life as perfect as we can. I Cor. 10:31 tells us, “whether you eat or drink whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We must strive in everything we do to be perfect.
The life of pursuing perfection for the Lord is a long life of work. It is not achieved in days, weeks or months, but in a lifetime. Paul never felt he had achieved perfection, but he continued to strive for it. In Phil. 3:12, Paul tells us, “Not that I have already attained or am already perfect, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold on me.” Paul continued each day in his pursuit of perfection.
What can we do to strive for perfection in our service to God today? We can get our heart right (Matt. 22:37). We can seek His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33). We can love God and keep His commandments (John 14:15).
May we always strive for perfection at school, work, home, and in sports. May we also never forget in our pursuits, in our spiritual service to God, that we realize the importance of and the commands to strive for perfection. As we leave this life, as Paul did, may we also be able to say as Paul did in II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” Paul was telling all of us today that I lived a life trying to be perfect in my service to the Lord.
