Perfecting part 3
The first picture we looked at was a house. And the carpenter (Jesus) built the house, and furnished it how HE wanted it to be. The house was perfect, but some things didn't fit inside it. The second picture we looked at was a garden. And the gardener (Jesus) planted it, and pruned it how HE wanted it to be. He nurtured those things that He wanted to grow, and He got rid of those things that were not beneficial. Today I want to look at the most blatant picture in the Bible: A Father and His Son. And, as a father, I can tell you that when my son was born the first thing I ever said to him was, "I've been waiting for you my whole life." And the second thing I ever said to him was, "You're perfect." Now think about that for a second. This little blob of humanity who was utterly and completely helpless. Couldn't do a single thing for himself except poop, and pee, and cry. Couldn't even hold his own head up by himself. Couldn't walk, or talk, or... DO anything. And yet, completely, utterly perfect. Not because of what he could (or couldn't) do. But because of who he WAS. And he's still perfect. Because of who he IS. Not because in the last almost six years he has continued to learn and grow every single day. Not because he has one of the softest, and sweetest hearts in the world. But simply because he's my son. The apple of my eye. I tell him this all the time, "Logan, you are my favorite thing." Which is kind of the equivelant to, "...Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). And in the same way, that declaration of love from the Father didn't come because of anything Jesus had DONE. He hadn't even started His earthly ministry yet. It came after the Holy Ghost (the love receptor) descended on Him. It came when He (and in our cases when WE) could receive it. When it stopped being too good to be true and became so good that it MUST be true. See, unlike that old wrestler Mr. Perfect, our perfection doesn't come from what we do. It comes from who we are. Who we are in Christ. Which, of course, comes from who Christ is in us. He is the perfect One. He told Abraham HOW to be perfect when He told Abraham to walk facing Him. That's where grace is found--in the eyes of the Lord. And grace is ALLOWS us to learn and grow. No parent punishes their child when he is learning to walk and he stumbles and falls. A good parent helps him up and encourages his to keep going. The just man falls seven times and gets up every time, right? It's not about never making a mistake. That's not what perfection is. It's about LEARNING from your mistakes. It's about trying, and then trying again. I've found that in this life you almost always have to do it wrong before you can do it right. Every expert was once a beginner. It's ok to start at the bottom. As long as you're moving upward and God-ward. And even baby steps are steps in the right direction. So my point is, don't judge yourself against an impossible standard. That was the Law of Moses and Jesus nailed that Law to the cross because it was contrary to us and against us. It could only point out what we did wrong. It couldn't help us do right. That's what Jesus living inside of us does. We are the righteousness OF GOD IN CHRIST. We ARE complete in Him. Even when we mess up. Even when we stumble and fall. Because it's not about what you do. It's about who you are. And you are the beloved Son of your heavenly Father. You are Jesus--God in the flesh. Love in a body!