Dr. Dan Hayden •
Perfection is nice, but it’s hard to come by, especially, if you’re talking about – LIFE!
Have you ever known a perfectionist? Usually, there is a lot to be admired in a person like that. They do good work, and they appreciate excellence. On the other hand, they can drive themselves and everyone around them nuts in their demand for perfection, because life just isn’t perfect. And those that insist that it should be just aren’t living in reality.
So – what does God mean when He says that He wants us to be perfect? For instance, in James 1:2-4 He says “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
“That you may be perfect…” Well, perfect here doesn’t really mean perfection. In fact, the NIV uses the word “mature” and that’s really a better word. It’s the Greek adjective telos – which means “to attain the end or purpose of something; to be complete or fully developed.” When used of persons, it means “full-grown” or “mature.”
So, when God allows you to experience a trial, it’s for the purpose of building a stronger level of maturity into your life. And then one day you notice that others are looking at you as a role model of godliness. Now that’s something to be joyful about! God is using the trials of life to make you more mature – “that you may be perfect.”
So, be joyful! God is in the process of making you perfect.