STILL IN THE FLESH
“For
if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans
the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do
not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which
is in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 6:
46 – 48
King James
Version
There are times when we
make mistakes and unwise decisions. This verse tells us to be perfect, even as
our Father is perfect. We know that we can never be perfect on this earth.
There is only one person who was ever perfect and His name is Jesus. We are to
strive toward perfection. When we make mistakes, we should learn from them and
do our best not to make the same mistakes over and over again.
We can’t do this in our own
strength because we are powerless against the snares of the world and the
poisonous barbs of satan. We must allow Jesus to fight our battles and ask Him
to please help us conquer our shortcomings. Above all, don’t beat yourself up
if you make a mistake because that makes satan happy. A very special and
precious friend once told me that God chastens us with Love. He never yells at
us or punishes us because He is angry with us. He does it because He Loves us.
All of us need to treat
everybody with respect, dignity and kindness. It doesn’t matter if the person
is wearing torn clothes and filthy shoes and stinks because of not taking
baths. That person is precious to Jesus and we need to be an encourager to that
person. We should understand that except for the grace and mercy of God, that
could be us wearing those clothes and stinking. It is time that we start loving
one another as God has commanded us to love. When we are unkind to someone, it
makes Jesus sad and breaks His heart.
Joanne Lowe
October 4, 2006
