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"Having therefore these
promises,
dearly beloved,
let us cleanse
ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh
and spirit,
perfecting holiness in
the fear of God."
2Corinthians 7:1
Pursuit of
Perfection
If the world were
controlled by perfectionists,
there would be no place for
those who can never
quite measure up to their
standards.
On the other hand,
if the world were under the
domination of people
who wake up in a new world
every day,
we would probably suffocate
in
the accumulation of our own
garbage within a week.
Fortunately, "practically
perfect" people like
Mary Poppins
manage to get mixed up with
the
Dick Van Dykes of the
world.
The "neat and trim" husband
is often found
with the wife who doesn't
know
what she is preparing for
dinner at 4 PM.
And the obsessive wife's
cleanliness is
sometimes linked to the
husband
who hunts and tracks dirt
across her clean floor.
And so, they struggle
between
perfection and the spirit
of tolerance.
In one compartment of the
brain,
there's a tug to live up to
all the standards of Christ.
But then on the other hand,
our attempts to measure up
to those standards
are most often flawed.
The New Testament clearly
articulates the need
to "perfect holiness out of
reverence for God."
Perfection does not usually
mean
sinless ness in the
Scripture,
but something like maturity
or completeness.
Paul admitted that he had
not
"been made perfect" in
Philippians 3:12.
Yet he did not attempt to
excuse himself from
pursuing the goal of
perfection.
He said,
"I press on to take hold of
that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of
me."
The person who excuses
them self from
serious effort because
"nobody's perfect"
is just playing a game,
and not even according to
the rules.
While it is self-righteous
and hypocritical
to claim that one has
already
conquered the flesh at any
point in this life,
we play a deadly game of
self-vindication when we
ignore the
"pursuit of perfection."
"He that saith he
abideth in him
ought himself also so
to walk,
even as he walked."
"Lord Dictated Them" | 
