Imperfectly Perfect
Matthew 5:48 in the Amplified Bible, Jesus commands “You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
So Jesus commanded us to be perfect as the Father God is perfect. Now, God knows we will never come close to His perfection, so why would Jesus command us to do something that we can never accomplish? This can make us wonder if Jesus was teasing our sinful nature telling us to do something we knew we could not do. However, God knows our hearts. He will not command us to do something that we can easily achieve because we will take it for granted and not try as hard. God wants the best for us, as does any father wants for his children, so He will ask the BEST from us.
It is the same then when you tell your child to get straight As on their report cards, get into gifted and honors classes, etc., but as long as they tried their best and gave it their all, as a parent you will be overly pleased with their effort. However, if you only ask them to do just enough to get by, that is what they will bring back to you. God wants us to give it our all, just as He gave us His all. He didn’t do a mediocre job with our lives, neither should we do a mediocre job in His name. In that sense, we may not be perfect in the eyes of men, but we are perfect in His eyes, the only eyes that matter.
Be blessed! Amen!