Day 6 – The Pursuit of Perfection
Why would anyone attempt to pursue perfection? Wouldn't it just be an exercise in frustration? After all, we know that we will certainly never be able to reach that goal, at least on this side of eternity. Wouldn't it just be easier to relax and accept the mediocrity of imperfection?
The command of Scripture is, “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” –Leviticus 11:45 NKJV
I remember wrestling with that scripture as a young disciple. I became extremely frustrated because I was honest enough to realize how far away I was from the goal of holiness/perfection. For a long time, I told myself that that was an unrealistic expectation from God. I shrugged it off, thinking that God must have made a mistake by including that admonition in His word. What I didn't realize at the time is that God isn't necessarily expecting perfection today, but He is expecting us to try. The reason is that in the trying, we learn to trust Him, we learn to cry out to Him, and we learn to strive for perfection.
Maybe you've heard the parable of The Unmoved Rock:
Once upon a time, there was a man who was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.
Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture placing thoughts into the man's mind such as: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.
These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum of effort and that will be good enough." And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.
"Lord," he said, "I have laboured long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock a half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?" To this the Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when long ago I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push.
And now you come to me, your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition, you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my child, will now move the rock." –Source unknown
In today's scripture, we find a practical way to begin pushing against the rock to pursue perfection: BRIDLE YOUR TONGUE.
The ability to control the tongue is a great indicator for the ability to control the rest of you. Speak life instead!