Verse of the Day
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don't know God are nice to their friends. What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:46–48 ERV
Lesson of the Day
Jesus commands us to be perfect. This is the finish line Jesus drew under the whole “love your enemies” section, so it's not a new random rule; it's the goal that makes all the other commands make sense.
The word Jesus uses for “perfect” is “teleios,” which doesn't mean flawless; it means complete, mature, whole, fully grown. He's not saying, “Never mess up.” He's saying, “Love like your Father loves, all the way through, no exceptions.” That's the kind of perfect that's actually possible to aim at, because it's about love being whole, not performance being spotless.
Jesus is the example of it. He loved all the way through, even to the cross, and that's the picture of mature, complete love.
Encouragement
I wish that I could get everyone to understand what Jesus is asking of us. He's asking us to look beyond ourselves, our needs, and our ways. We must change our character to be like Jesus's. This doesn't happen overnight. It takes getting to know Christ personally. The only way to do that is to spend a lot of quality time with Him.
I can only share what I did and what I went through, but I'm sure that everyone has their own journey.
My journey didn't happen overnight. It took time for me to understand, learn, and transform. I read several Christian books, watched several Christian movies, and listened to a whole lot of gospel music. I created a war room, where every morning I cried out to God in prayers of supplication. I walked the park trail daily, singing, crying, praying, and communing with God. Some days, when it was hard for me to do what Jesus asked of me, I walked twice or went out and sat in my car. Every time something was causing me pain or making me upset, I ran right to a place to be alone with God.
I also had seasons when I rebelled. I just wanted to be free of the pain, but I ended up compromising myself. I felt like God wasn't moving fast enough. I wanted to be an example of Christ to win others, but I wasn't strong enough, so I turned to the worldly ways of dealing with pain.
Eventually, I found myself repenting and making my way back to God. The world has nothing good to offer. I was only getting temporary relief, so I dug back into my Bible, gospels, and submission to Christ.
It took some time to get to the point where I trusted God wholeheartedly. I still stumble a bit, but now I'm like the Weebles: they wobble, but they don't fall down (look it up). I've seen Christ make changes, cover my family, and continue to come through for me.
I watched my husband, my son, my daughter, and even my grandchildren transform. However, I was the one who transformed the most. I started to pray all day. I talk to God about everything, whether big or small. I see miracles every day. They're miracles to me, but someone else may call them coincidences.
It became easy to be quiet when someone wrongs me. It got easy to pray for a person even as they are causing me harm. It became easy to get through storms because I know that God is real and that whatever He promises will come true. It may not happen when we want it to, but He is always on time. God is intentional. He sees the future, and He knows all. Trust Him.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You are the perfect example of agape love. Your love brings us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We need Your fruits of the Spirit to help us to love like You. Your Words are true, and they keep us safe and at peace. There is no peace like the peace You give us. We thank You, and we give You the highest praise. Hallelujah to You, Lord. Hallelujah to You. Thank You for transforming us into Your image. Protect and guide us as we strive to live a life for You. Continue to speak to us and teach us Your commands. Help us to understand them the way that You meant them to be. Forgive us when we miss the mark. In Jesus Christ's name we pray, amen.