Oh to Be Perfect as our Father is Perfect

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as i said yesterday God is having me read Matthew to see just want Jesus has instructed me to do. though there are many things He commands us to do i just want to look at a few things.

in Matthew 5:48 Jesus says "therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." now if that is not the hardest thing to do i dont know what is. i am left with the question "how do i be perfect?" Jesus is good enough to answer this for me. we see in Matthew 19:21 where the rich young ruler came to Him and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies to him by telling him to follow the commandants (do not: murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, then to honor your father and mother, and to love your neighbor as your self). the ruler told Jesus that he had kept these from his youth, and in verse 21 Jesus tells him "if you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me." see though this man lived my the law that was given to him from God he still was not perfect. he was lacking something. he was serving two masters at once. his heart was where his treasure was, and with it being there it could not be completely on Jesus. Matthew 6:19-21, 24 "do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do no break in and steal. for where your treasure is there you heart will be also... no one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. you cannot serve God and money." God wanted this young man to leave the god he had made for himself and love Him with his whole heart. Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus commanded us to love Him with all our heart leading us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He also told the young ruler to "follow Him."

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in Matthew 16:24 Jesus tells us "if anyone desires to come after Me let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." now if we are to follow and be like Jesus we are to love him completely and to take up "our" cross and follow Him. Jesus had his own cross (calling) to follow just as we have our own to follow. as i talked about the other day where God wants me (as well as the body of Christ) to walk in and stir up the gifts that He has given me (us). though our calling may and probably will lead us right in to persecution as Jesus said it would. though these things seem to be impossible and to hard to do our Jesus says in Matthew 11:29-30 "take my yoke upon your and learn from Me, for i am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." then in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." so let us not be weary of the calling we have in Jesus but let us rest assured that He will be there to carry us through on His strength. let us live by grace and worship Him with our whole heart making Jesus our King and Master. when we find ourselves in need of the grace that He says is sufficient for us (for me it is all the time, everyday) let us ask for it boldly as it says in Hebrews 10:19, and 4:16.

to be perfect is one thing that i cannot do by myself. there is no way that by my works that i could be. it is only through the life of Jesus i am. through living in and walking out Love for Him, His Love for others, grace for all and allowing my self to become week so that His strength is what carries me. that is the process that i am made perfect in Him. so i count my blessings here; that in laying down my life at the feet of Jesus i may be made perfect as my Father is perfect.