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Perfection in the Human Sphere, August 7
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.
Matthew 5:48
.
Our Saviour understood all about human nature, and He says to every
human being. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect.” As God is perfect in His sphere, so man is to be perfect
in his sphere. Those who receive Christ are among the number to whom
the words so full of hope are spoken. “As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name.” These words declare to us that we should be content with nothing
less than the best and highest character, a character formed after the divine
similitude. When such a character is possessed, the life, the faith, the purity
of the religion, is an instructive example to others.
But those who are waiting to behold a magical change in their characters
without determined effort on their part to overcome sin, will be disappointed.
We have no reason to fear while looking to Jesus, no reason to doubt but
that He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto Him; but we
may constantly fear lest our old nature will again obtain the supremacy,
that the enemy shall devise some snare whereby we shall again become his
captives. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for
it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. With
our limited powers we are to be as holy in our sphere as God is holy in His
sphere. To the extent of our ability, we are to make manifest the truth and
love and excellence of the divine character. As wax takes the impression of
the seal, so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain
the image of Christ.
We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our
efforts to copy the divine pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep
at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are
not to be discouraged; we are to pray more fervently, believe more fully,
and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord.
As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer,
and render praise to God, who is the health of our countenance, and our
God.
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