Set Your Sights High

In my accountability group meeting last night, one of my dear friends and brothers in Christ challenged me to discard a measuring tool that we use. The tool 'How Was Your Week' details all the myriad questions that are represented by the seemingly innocuous question 'how was your week.' He asserted that the standards represented by those questions were so high as to be unattainable and that answering them truthfully led only to guilt and frustration.

As a group we discussed the relevance of the questions, the difference between guilt and conviction and the scriptural basis for each of the included questions. We all agreed that it was a high standard, in fact, the highest standard. One that was set by Jesus Christ and that as his disciples we were to strive for his standard. In our own inept way, we referenced the admonitions in scripture that; we be holy, not love the world, not conform to the patterns of the world, conduct ourselves so that there is not even a hint of immorality, not continue in patterns of sin and that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. But what I could not do as leader of the group, was to clearly articulate the challenge set forth in scripture in response to my brothers objections.

But God, the faithful One had prepared for me, in advance, the answer that I needed. This morning, I was led to...

2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

There, right there, is what I needed to say. That is that when it is all said and done, we are to 'aim for perfection' and 'be of one mind, live in peace.' That is not to say that we will ever, in this lifetime, achieve the goal of perfection. But as we discussed last night, though we will always fall short of perfection, our goal is to AIM for perfection. Our intent is to be more like Christ today than yesterday.

If, in our own frail and faltering way, we are more like Christ today than yesterday, then we have victory and we have achieved what we are able. Of course, we must freely admit that it is not of ourselves that this is accomplished save for our willingness to yield to the sanctifying work of God's Holy Spirit. It is no strength of ourselves that enables such a change (to be more like Christ) except for our act of will to lay aside our selfish ambitions, to pour out our selves as a drink offering, that we may be filled to capacity by the Spirit. In this, we pick up our own cross daily and follow Christ.

We know too that when we pick up our cross, it leads but to one place and that is the hill on which we may be crucified in Christ, die to ourselves and be reborn into a life of service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

To try to BE Christ is folly but to strive to be MORE LIKE Christ is wisdom. To be frustrated by our own shortcomings and inability to hit the mark is fruitless but to AIM FOR PERFECTION is glorious.

So my friends, set your sights high, AIM FOR PERFECTION and when your arrow falls short of the mark, shoot again, and again, and again.

Shalom,
Carl