Complete part 2
Here's the key. And when I say, "the key" I mean the key to EVERYTHING. I mean, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19 AMP). Ready? Here it is: We are complete IN HIM. Yesterday we saw that the word, "compete" means "Jesus" in every way, shape, and form. You can't be complete without Him, because He is what it means to BE complete. Remember our analogy of a jigsaw puzzle? He is the picture on the box! He is the image we were made in. But before the cross we didn't know what the puzzle was supposed to look like. So no matter how hard we tried to be "a good person" we kept missing the mark. Because even under the Law we were unable to live up to that impossible "perfect" standard. The Law demanded perfection without being able to produce perfection. It wasn't until Jesus--until LOVE--took up abode, or dwelling, in us that we were able to partake of His divine nature. It wasn't until He became sin for us and died that sin could die. And then, because we were no longer in bondage to sin and death, we could walk in newness of life. We could be who we are instead of trying to be someone we're not. We could see what WE really look like because the light of the world was shining (on us, and in us, and through us) and we could see what GOD really looks like. We could finally look in the mirror with an unveiled face. With the stone of the Law rolled away. With our graveclothes taken off, and wrapped in a white robe of holiness. We could stop trying to earn something because we could finally receive the gift of God (eternal life, knowing the Father and the One whom He sent)! We could stop trying to DO good and not DO evil and we could simply REST and BE who we are. Listen, if you think you're lacking something you're going to try to get it. However you can. Beg, borrow, steal, or earn it. But you can't earn a gift. Because a gift is freely given and must be receieved. That's where the Holy Spirit--our love receptor, the Spirit of Truth--comes in. The cross didn't change us into something God could love. He already loved us. The cross changed us into something that could RECEIVE His love! Receive it and release it. The cross brought heaven to earth. And it brought it in through the window. Remember in Malachi 3:10 God reveals that WE are the windows of heaven that He pours His blessings through. Blessed to be a blessing. Receive it and RELEASE IT. But, again, here's the key: You can't give what you don't have. You aren't complete on your own. You're complete IN HIM because He is complete IN YOU! He did it all so you could get it all. And now you have it all, so you can share it all! Love is giving, not taking. The New Commandment is loving one another as Jesus loves you. Loving--giving--with the love that you have been given! I think we have this idea of perfection, or maturity, or completeness as, "Never messing up. Never making a mistake." But if you never make a mistake how can you learn from your mistakes? Sometimes you have to do something wrong before you can do it right. That's called learning and growing. Not learning and growing to BECOME complete. But learning and growing what it means to BE complete!