Imperfect Perfect You

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:6-10 

I spent some time reflecting on the idea of perfection under God.  Looking at myself, I am far from perfect, and yet, God loves me for who I am.  My life is flawed with various failures not only with my family and friends but also with God Himself.  Yet, those who know still view me as someone who loves God and they aspire to model their life after.  I’ve prayed asking God why should I carry a flag that I feel ill equipped to carry.  Why should I be worthy of praise?  Then I was reminded of the many stories of Paul.  One sermon reminded me that Paul was the symbol of how not to be a Christian, and he often boasted of his failures.  Yet, Paul was bold in his faith, and God undoubtedly used him to advance the Gospel to what it is today.  Furthermore, He used Paul’s imperfections and made him seem ‘perfect.’  Now I fall well short of Paul, but in striving to be more like Christ, I find myself inspired by those stories.  While I may have a way to go in my journey, the distance traveled has brought me closer to Jesus than I could have possibly hoped for. 

We must always trust in God that even in failure He will find perfection in us.  In Paul’s dare I say ‘rant’ to the Corinthians, he speaks of his weakness even as God had shown him revelations of Heaven.  Paul focuses not on his vision but instead on his imperfection that is a subtle reminder of how weak he is without Christ.  His words are reminders to even the best of us.  None of us have this perfect life.  We do not always do those things as we should as Paul points in Romans 7:15 (I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.).  But in Paul’s flaws, he reveals that we have already achieved something more special than anything; God’s grace.  From that, we grow strong.  It is through that grace that our tragedies become our triumph, and as one preacher said, we move from victims to victors. 

God wants you.  Not the pristine perfect you.  The messy, ugly, never felt good enough you.  We do not gain strength through always being the perfect follower.  We gain God’s grace and strength in facing our imperfections and fighting through them to be better than we were the day before.  Furthermore if we look at others as Jesus looks at us, we will not see people’s flaws.  We will see the future brothers and sisters in 

Christ that with His love can indeed be conquerors in His kingdom.  Let us commit to dusting ourselves off from our past failures, and focus on Jesus to indeed find new strength to overcome.  What is the thorn holding you back from embracing God’s true strength?  How will you trust God more instead of trying to be perfect for Him?  My prayer is that we indeed embrace and dare I say celebrate the imperfect perfect you.  Amen.

Free Indeed

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.  A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”  John 8:34-36

My coming to God felt a bit unique.  Many people come to God when times are at their worst.  They have nowhere to turn to, and there they find God.  In my case, it was more of a revelation.  I was not in any stress nor struggling in any way.  For the longest while, I believed that my sins would forever distance me from God.  It was during that time that I came to give what would become my testimony.  I shared with others that I had indeed been sinful, and by no means would I deserve to be in Heaven.  Instead, my goal was that maybe I could save someone through the tales of my mistakes.  This moment of admitting my own vulnerability to sin became the day of my liberation.  That is when God showed me His grace, and thus, I have been able to tell of this and literally hundreds of other stories because of it.

Showing our vulnerability to God is liberating.  I mentioned that many people come to God when times are at their worst.  Most of those will say they had been fighting and losing their battles with the world, and after agonizing in their sinful ways, they looked to God asking Him to free them from the bondage of their circumstances.  Even though we are saved through Christ, many of us still remain susceptible to believing we are not free.  Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”  This is our moment of vulnerability.  We know none of us alone are free from this, but Jesus followed this up saying, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”  Thus through the confessing of our own sins to God, the weight of our past (our guilt, sorrow, pain, suffering, and bitterness) goes away.  To a new believer, they are born again.  To those who have served God for years, they are strengthened and renewed by the power of God to take away that which might hold them down in bondage.

God’s truth gives us freedom.  Jesus said to His believers, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32)  The truth is Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, and through Him, we are saved from God’s judgment.  There is nothing wrong with saying we are vulnerable to sin because we all are.  However if we can meet it with the determination and faith that our Lord Jesus Christ saves us, we are free.  What sins are holding you from the freedom Christ provides us with?  How can you free others through the testimony of your own vulnerabilities?  My prayer is that although we sin, we realize that through Jesus Christ we are free indeed.  Amen.

The Good And The Bad Of Thanksgiving

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20

Just a little over seventeen years ago, I received a phone call letting me know that I would be offered a job to work at my current employer.  As I looked back, I remembered my excitement getting the job offer.  Thoughts about the jobs I had before never quite being happy in any of them swirled in my head.  Each one of them prepared me in their own way for that moment.  Even the ones that I did not enjoy had a level of relevancy because they would become reminders of just how good I would now have it.  Thus I was thankful for all that had happened prior to that day.

When looking back at our journey of faith, we are to be thankful for all that happened to bring us closer to God today.  We are thankful of the blessings He has given us like our jobs and homes.  We are to be thankful for the people He brought into our lives to influence and be influenced by us.  We are thankful for the many victories He has given us in His name.  And yet, we are to be thankful for the many trials and losses we have had.  They have tested our faith and taught us lessons that would be useful for future success.  We are also to be thankful for the failures that we had for they proved our imperfections and reminded us how we are not God despite our knowing who He is.  They awakened the Holy Spirit within us saying something is not right.  They became the inspiration for us to do better, and once learned, became testimonies to those who once believed they could never make it.  You see?  Once we become a child of God, we are no longer bound by sin.  However like all children, we must grow and build a better relationship with God from it.  That is something we can be eternally thankful for.

God is good whether we are or are not.  When things are good, it is very easy to love God.  However our love is never fully appreciated when it is easy.  It is when the most trying of circumstances challenge our love is tested.  In spite of our greatest sins, God loved on us showing His mercy and grace.  For that most of all, we should be infinitely thankful.  What problem in your life can you give thanks to God for?  How can you show an attitude of gratitude for God in all circumstances?  My prayer is that we simply show thanks to God for everything; both good and bad.  Amen, and I pray for you and your family a joyous and blessed Thanksgiving holiday.