His Kind of Perfect.

If something is "too good to be true", it probably is. Let us remember that "there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end is the way to death"- Proverbs 14:12. 

The path to hell may look romantic, beautiful, light, airy, perfect, or even Godly. So, how do we even know if our choices are of His Kingdom? Instead of asking if something is perfect or pure, ask: does it look like Jesus?  Does it require sacrifice?  I often think about the fact that Jesus was not who the Jews thought would be their Savior. Poor, born in a manger, no esteemed social status. Many men performed "magic", and the miracles of Jesus did not send them to conversion. Jesus was not King, he was not a "Wise Man", but He was a wise man. He would have never worked on the Sabbath, He would have kept the law in its entirety. Jesus was not condemning the prostitute and beggars-he sat down with them...and heard their story! The parades for Jesus were not the "King's parade" the Jews expected and Jesus was not constructing marvelous temples to form an Earthly Kingdom, not stroring treasures in Heaven for a Heavenly Kingdom.

So, why did I just unpack this piece of history? We are so often the Jews. We are so often forming our own reality, searching for our Jesus. We search for "Jesus" (our destiny, our future, even His plan for our life), yet ignore Jesus. By searching for Jesus without focusing on Jesus, we set ourselves up for a great trap. Earthly beauty disguises itself as "Jesus", but often it is not Jesus.


Here is an example. If a church must pour money into the architecture, decoration, or aesthetic appeal for any other reason than accomodate additional church attendance, I become nervous.  The earth approves, but where is Jesus?  If the goal of our lives is anything but loving Jesus and loving his people, it becomes shaky. As I have grown in my faith, I realize that avoiding the "negative" in society should not be our greatest concern. It is not intensely difficult to avoid drugs, abuse, stealing, or cheating. We see the effects of this quickly. We get caught, we are found out, or we become sick. But the conditions that the earth applauds-pride, arrogance, hoarding of money, or sex- there is no obvious discipline for these conditions or actions.

I heard something very interesting from my step-father a few weeks back. He is one of the most wise people I know. He told me, "Alexa, here is the thing. God is going to use me whether I am sitting in a jail cell, or if I am living in this beautiful home with my wife and children. God will never give up on you. Often it is up to you where you submit to Him-because He will use you no matter how much you fall to the earth."  Interesting, huh?  Even if we begin to buy into the world's lie of greediness, pride, or jealousy, God will still use you. Now isn't that unbelievably comforting and utterly frightening?

^{Ecclesiastes 7:20} Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

The Earth looks great. Really, it does. And often, it looks so good because there is a hint of truth wrapped in sin. But, even if we decide to go after the truth within it, we must remember sin always lies, and idols always lie. We will become trapped. In addition, we were formed to live on this earth. We are comfortable living here because it was the original intention. BUT, we were formed to live on a perfect earth. We have no business engaging in this world now that it has been steeped in sin and we are in bondage to it.  Yet, we ARE here. We must remember that the only freedom we have is in Jesus-and Jesus is not found in the Earth. He is found in His Father and in His word. Let us bring His word to the Earth. When we shine His light against a dark world (or a world that only appears light and beautiful), Truth will rise to the surface.

Finally, ask yourself-what do you consider the most pleasing things on this earth? For me, a beautiful family, a healthy body, and caring for those who do not have a role model or parent make my heart filled with joy.  But, I must remind myself every single day, that even these relationships or "ideals" cause me to stumble. They cause me to not appreciate my current life and where the Lord has taken me thus far. It allows me to become discouraged with my body and have a negative self-image. And, it can even lead to pride or selfish thought. Even the beautiful can be manipulated by the earth.

This is why, we must meditate on the word. And, we must use extreme caution when we talk about the things in which we are the most passionate. The devil will manipulate the good for his will. Let us give our passions to Jesus so that He can perfect them for us. If we turn to the earth to find the perfect family, form the perfect body, or foster His children we pull away from our God and give them to the earth. He placed these desires in us to be released back to Him....not to the earth!

^{James 1:4} And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Be wary of the perfect, and be wary of the beautiful. It may be of God, or it may not. In either case reflect your daily life against the Truths of scripture, and the Truth of the Messiah. Jesus is honest. Jesus is perfect. Jesus the the one we will meet one day. Let us live in His perfect light, and His alone.