God is Perfect!

My God is perfect. He is sinless, just, righteous, beautiful, and loving. Which one of those words doesn't seem to fit? To me if God is righteous and just, that must be what he expects from me, right. I mean when Jesus healed one man he said go and sin no more. So he expects perfection right?

No! See the word that doesn't seem to fit in the list I used to describe God was loving. How could a just God who expects perfection love me when I am so far from perfect?

Think of a love of a mother and child. I couldn't tell you how many times my mom would leave to run errands on a Saturday and ask me to, clean the bathroom, do the dishes, or straighten up the living room. Yeah I can't even count how many times she would come back home I was either reading or watching a movie marathon on TV and hadn't done what she asked. If I were to call her up and ask her in all truthfulness if she loved me do you know what her answer would be? Of course.

See God loves us so much, I mean he did create us. God knows that our flesh is sinful. So he sent his perfect son, Jesus to come and walk in this sinful flesh. Wow Jesus walked in a world of evil. He of all people knows God's love for us, and the evil and temptation we deal with everyday. (Hebrews 2:18 reminds us that Jesus has been there so he can help us.) So when Jesus died and rose again it was a way of saying perfect isn't what I expect or demand.

Paul prayed 3 times to have a thorn (stumbling block) removed from him. Each time God said his grace was sufficient. I think it was God who allowed this thorn to go unnamed. We don't know if it was a health issue or sin but God's grace is sufficient in both scenarios. It reminds us of how much God loves us, even in our imperfect flesh.

Some people will hear that and say oh goodie I can go out and live how ever I want. Yeah that is a sure fire way to show how little you understand God's love?

See when I moved out of my parents home I moved in with my twin sister. I know she loves me and there is nothing I could do that would cause her to not love me. (Random story, when we were younger (12) we were fighting and no one else was home. She became scared and ran into the bathroom so me in my absolute anger grabbed a screw driver to unlock the door. She swears I was going to kill her and called my grandma. I just wanted to finish the fight, because at that moment I had an upper hand.) So yeah she still loves me, because of her love I strive to be a better sister, roommate, and person.

That is what God wants from us. He wants us to do our best, but when we fail or do the worst he is there with his loving arms waiting to remind us of His love. He wants us to come to him, admit we are not perfect and accept his love. When we allow our guilt to keep us from God we are robbing ourselves of God's love.