899 The Demand for Perfection - Matthew 5:48

Does Jesus expect us to be perfect?   "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48.   Jesus seems to be summing up one section of his sermon and moving to another. This could be a great transition verse. In most of chapter 5, he's been blowing up the ideas of the past and the way the Jews think. He's making the point that perfection is the standard.   All of the law was designed to show the Jews this verse. God is perfect, therefore, if we want to measure up, we must be perfect. If we want to achieve God's status and level, we must be flawless. It's just not possible.   Jesus isn't done with the sermon either. It just keeps going. But for today, what difference does this verse make in our lives? How should it show up in the way we live.   We can't take credit for most of what we want to take credit for. In the end, whoever you might compare to yourself, you will find that we're identical in the one measure that matters. We don't measure up. We're imperfect. Perfect is what mattes and we're not it.   Jesus intends for this to make us humble, not despairing. Pride keeps us from God and from one another. When we remember the standard, we're free not to compete with our fellow man. We're able to take the lower position or take the second spot. For me and some of you, it's ok not to get there first. We're all imperfect.   Jesus seems to be saying, based on everything I just said, "Give up. You can't do this. Stop trying to be God. Stop trying to be better than others."   So let's remember that we're going to fall short today. We can pout about it or whine about it or we can help someone else who will be experiencing the same thing. Since our gap is covered, we need to be those who bless others. Ask God to show you how you can get on-mission with him today. What does he want you to do?   Please take a minute and pray for this ministry, too. We have an ambitious goal of equipping every Christ-follower to live on-purpose for Christ. We are an online community, we host this podcast, and our Marketplace Mission Trips to help you be more intentional and get busy on your assignment from God. He doesn't want you to just stay out of trouble until Sunday, or until you die. He has a job for you. Why not join our online community and get in the game? Head over to https://community.FollowerOfOne.org to check it out.