You Must Be Perfect?

Day 6: Matthew 5: 27-48

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” - Matthew 5: 48 ESV

Many of us may read our passage for today, put down our Bibles, and let out a big sigh. This is because we know when we've looked too long in lust. We have seen marriages (maybe even in our own families) fail. We all have given not-so-straight answers when we feel defensive. We've all held onto grudges for far too long. We may have even wished harm to our enemies, definitely not going out of our way to bless them.

We have all fallen short of God's standards which are apparently higher than we thought they were (see Romans 3:23).

So, is it time to find a hole to crawl into? Or is it maybe time to give up on following Jesus? I mean, there is no way we will be able to be perfect as God is perfect.

King David was someone who was far from perfect, but he knew the one who was able to make things perfect when he wrote/sang: "God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect." (Psalm 18:32)

The same Jesus who calls us to a high standard is the One who went to the cross to ensure we could reach wholeness by trusting in His blood for our atonement.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2: 13 NASB