Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
You are not perfect. You will not know everything. You will get angry and frustrated and sin. You will be lonely and sad. You won’t be able to help everyone. Someone will be left out. Someone will be hurt by you. Someone will be mad at you. You are not the perfect wife and you will be lazy and selfish. You are not the perfect mom and will be impatient and angry. You are not the perfect friend and will say something that hurts or not say anything and cause hurt. You will not give the perfect counsel to the lady at church. You will not say the perfect thing that causes the unsaved to be saved.
He is perfect. He knows everything. He has removed you from the wrath of God by the death of his Son, Jesus. He loves you with a patient everlasting love. He is close to the broken hearted and wipes every tear from our eyes. He can and wants to help us. Moses killed someone. Barnabas and Paul had a falling out. Sarah laughed when she was told she would have a child and took matters into her own hands later with Hagar. Even Mary was afraid. Mary was upset with Jesus when they needed wine at the wedding. Jonathan could not fix it for David. Moses was angry with the people and broke the tablets, and he was prideful when he struck the rock. Jesus’ very own brothers did not believe Jesus to be the Son of God until later in Jesus’ ministry.
So take your eyes off yourself and peer into the eyes of Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. Repent of sin for being prideful, discontent, frustrated, fearful, anxious, lacking self-control, etc. Then fall humbly and happily into the perfect love of God. And move in his Spirit according to his great power to not be merely a hearer but a doer of his word.
I am not perfect and will sin and miss “the mark” over and over again—the Bible tells me so, actually. But he is perfect and does not sin and clothes me in his righteousness, and his good deposit of the Holy Spirit sings within my heart. The same gospel that saved me will sanctify me. He promises that he who began a good work in me will finish it. He will free me to walk in newness of life every day, every minute.
