Hi all,
So I’ve spent the last month in Penang, Malaysia and Medan, Indonesia. Both places have been amazingly beautiful and inviting. I encourage everyone to check out my Facebook page (Chance Minges) and Instagram (cminges67) for pictures from this month. Ministry has been very interesting for me and my team. We have been sent out to find ministries in the two cities that could one day host World Race teams. Through these meetings, we have gotten to see some amazing ministries and hear testimonies from some amazing people. Also, due to the nature of the month, I have been able to spend a lot of time with the Lord in prayer and to continue reading through the Bible. (I’m currently on 2 Timothy.) For those concerned, I’m also on the last Harry Potter book. Today, I would like to share one of the most freeing verses I’ve ever read in the Bible, and from there apologize for apologizing in the past.
The verse comes from Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount. At one point in the sermon, Jesus is beginning to establish the New Covenant. He is examining the old laws and bringing them into a new light. For example in chapter 5, verses 21-22 say:
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
So what Jesus is saying is that the old law does not just pertain to the outside but also the inside. It’s not just what we do physically, but what we desire in our hearts that matters. He goes on to talk about topics such as adultery, vows, revenge, and loving enemies in similar lights. The point I believe He is getting at is that being outwardly “good” isn’t good enough. The inner thoughts and motives are important as well. Then, we come to the verse I love! Matthew 5:48:
48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Finally! After years of expecting perfection out of myself whether spiritually, academically, or athletically and being told by people both inside and outside of the church that perfectionism was wrong, was damaging, and was not the way to a happy life, I feel like I have finally found the truth. Perfectionism isn’t just a good thing; it’s a biblical command! Moreover, this command doesn’t come from some prophet in some obscure Old Testament book; it doesn’t come from some letter written to a specific church at a specific time; no, not this one! This command comes from the Lord Jesus Christ during the most famous sermon of His life that was deemed important enough to be included in the Gospel of Matthew which was found to be accurate enough to be one of four accounts of Christ’s life included in the Holy Bible.
Now, I am well aware that perfection is humanly impossible, and I fully accept God’s grace and mercy when I fail, but the existence of grace and mercy does not allow us to lower the divine expectations put on us, and I for one am sorry for my past apologies. I’m sorry that I apologized for striving toward perfection. So today, I would like to declare to the world (or at least the people who read my blog) that I am proud, confident, God-fearing perfectionist, and no one is apologizing for that. I’d like to leave you with a quote from the great football coach Vince Lombardi “Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”
God Bless and Go Blue,
Chance
