Perfection is not required in this life! Hebrews 7:11 tells us that, "If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood...why was there still need for another priest to come?" In other words, if all the laws could have been kept on our own, we wouldn't have needed Jesus - but the laws (perfection) can't be kept perfectly and we do need Jesus' fullness in our lives. The more I grow in knowing and understanding who God is, the more rest comes in truly believing He loves me exactly where I am at and who I am at this moment. I want you to know that assurance too - that is where grace comes in - once we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives, and the work He did on the cross and through His resurrection, grace basically gives us the freedom to sin. Now before you get upset with me, remember that is not what God called us to - He has called us to holiness. I just want to be sure that you understand how HUGE grace is, before I share anything more on holiness. Remember, Paul asked us if we should go on sinning so grace would abound (because it would), to which he said, "By no means!" That is not God's best for us, nor will it allow His blessings to flow in our lives because there are always consequences with sin, even if grace is present.
So, what are we to do with all this? First, ask the Lord to show you what holiness needs to look like in your life. What things would He like you to let go of, to move closer to all that He has for you? Knowing that He is our Father who truly loves us and wants the best for us, will help us want to move in this direction because it is safe. Second, recognize that sometimes the things that we are finding hardest in our daily lives, may be the very things that God is using to bring us further on the path of holiness. I am amazed at what life can bring, during various stages and times; it can feel awful, exhausting, frightening and overwhelming; but once I am through the other side of those days / weeks / months, I can see God has taken me on a path of learning and growing towards Him and His holiness. Sometimes understanding it makes those hard times easier.
I came across a beautiful poem that I want to share; it paints a picture of the journey God takes us on in moving towards holiness while also giving a glimpse of God's perfect love and care for us. It comes from Mrs. Cowman's book, Streams in the Desert:
He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat, As He watched by the precious ore, And closer He bent with a searching gaze, As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test, And He wanted the finest gold To mould as a crown for the King to wear, Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire, Tho’ we fain would have said Him ‘Nay,’ And He watched the dross that we had not seen, And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright, But our eyes were so dim with tears, We saw but the fire-not the Master’s hand, And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow, As it mirrored a Form above, That bent o’er the fire, tho’ unseen by us, With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart To cause us a moment’s paint? Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye, With a love that is strong and sure, And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat, Than was needed to make it pure.
What a wonderful picture of what God does with us - He moves us closer to holiness by taking out the things in our lives that shouldn't be there, all the while watching carefully to see that it is not more than we can bear. Remember, it is alright to be lacking in perfection, but don't ever become content to be lacking in holiness. Let God work out those things in your life, so He can make you more and more like Him.
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