Pursue Progress Not Perfection~Friday

If any Bible character exemplifies our lesson this week, it is King David.
God said David was a man after His own heart. But David was far from perfect.

He made some of the worst mistakes you can imagine, including adultery and murder.

He faced some tough opposition to the plan God had for his life. He was hunted by his predecessor, Saul. Many years passed between his anointing and when he actually assumed power in Israel. He lost the son produced by the adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

But David persevered in God’s work. He never gave up. He recognized God’s hand in all his circumstances. He stepped forward in faith, even when facing his giants, trusting God with the results. He didn’t pretend to be perfect. He glorified God in all he did. He stood firm on the promise God placed on his life. He sought God’s direction in making decisions, and when he didn’t, he repented of his sins. When he grew weary, he remembered what God had promised his as a legacy.

This kind of enduring character is what Paul tells the Romans produces hope.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope.
Romans 5:3-4


Paul goes on to remind them (and us) the reason we have that hope. He gives us the “why” we need to endure all our failures and hardships. The “why” that provides us with the encouragement to keep pressing on.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:6

Christ didn’t die for perfect people. He died because He knew that was a standard we could never achieve. We don’t have to be perfect because He was. And when He comes again, we will finally be, too.

That is the ultimate inspiration for pursuing progress toward any goal that seems unattainable in this lifetime. Whatever the task at hand, that is our “why.”

We pursue progress in this life because He has guaranteed us perfection in the next.

Author:  Liz Giertz
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