Made Perfect

"'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.'

And where these have been forgiven,

sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary."

Hebrews 10:17-18

I haven't been bowling in a long time but the thing I notice about my skills when I do hit the lanes is that my success or failure is inversely proportional to the amount of effort I exert.  In other words, if I try really hard to get a high score I end up throwing one gutter ball after another.  If, however, I relax and just try to have fun, I end up getting some strikes and spares.

Maybe this is similar to my walk with Christ.  In dying on the cross, Jesus did what the law and animal sacrifices could not do: make me perfect.  In this I have His law on my heart and mind, and my sins are remembered no more.  With this power and freedom, there is no longer a need to go through rituals to make me acceptable but I am embraced as a part of God's family through faith.  In this way I can relax and let God work through me, kind of like when I loosen up in the bowling alley.  In order to truly surrender, though, there are some traps of which I must let go.

Fear

I have a cat who loves a good massage.  He'll lay on the bed purring loudly and meowing for attention until someone indulges his desires and gives him a good rubdown.  Most of the time, however, his fear keeps him hidden under the bed instead of enjoying all the attention and interaction he could be receiving.

Fear is crippling and likewise keeps me from fully experiencing the life of freedom God has given to me.  When I let my apprehension to take a step of faith hold me back, I may protect myself from failure but I also miss out on the blessing that comes from obedience.  

Other times I listen to the voices telling me I'm not qualified or experienced enough to do what God is calling me to do, consequently staying in the shadows along the wall instead of getting out on the dance floor.  I may think I'm guarding myself against humiliation but in reality I'm just like my cat, failing to receive all the good God has stored up for me as a result of submission.

Fully embracing the love of God that releases me from the punishment my sins deserve means I can walk in the security of that love:  I'll never have to face His wrath when I live immersed in the love of God.  There is no room for fear when I understand I've been made perfect in this love. (1 John 4:18)

True surrender to the Lord who made me perfect through faith in Christ means I can fully accept His love, giving me the power to let go of fear.

Guilt

The weight of his past bore down heavily upon him, so powerfully that he decided to end his own life.  He reasoned that if he was so evil as to take the life of his own wife in a fit of rage then how could he ever be capable of doing good?  The guilt nearly killed him.

Thankfully, this man did accept the salvation from eternal death our sins deserve that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and he eventually was able to forgive himself, letting go of the deep regret that so colored 20 years of his life.  Every follower of Christ has similarly been freed from the guilt of past sins.  

Feelings of remorse and shame are indications that I understand the depth my sins have offended God. (Psalm 51:3-5)  But guilt in and of itself is of no value except to keep me in the past.  If I truly want to be free from my sins which are covered by the blood of Jesus, it is vital for me to accept the forgiveness offered by God as a result.  After all, just feeling bad about my past doesn't save me.  I've already been forgiven but it's up to me to receive the pardon. (Psalm 130:3-4)

True surrender to the Lord who made me perfect through faith in Christ means I'll learn to accept the forgiveness I've been offered.

Low Self Image

Matthew West wrote a powerful song called "Hello My Name Is" about how I identify myself based on my mistakes, failures, weaknesses and sins instead of seeing myself as I am in Christ.  In part Matthew sings, "I am no longer defined by all the wreckage behind.  The one who makes all things new has proven it's true, just take a look at my life."

Instead of thinking of myself as an impatient, insecure, uncoordinated, stocky woman who has made many wrong turns in my life, I can take on my true identity, as Matthew sings about in the chorus, "Hello my name is child of the one true King."  I am a princess and my Father planted me as an "'Oak of Righteousness' in order to display His glory.  (Isaiah 61:3)  "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14a) and all the hairs on my head are numbered, so precious am I to my Father.  (Matthew 10:30)

Instead of looking at myself through my own carnal lenses, I must take on the perspective of my Father who loves me with a compassion that cannot be fathomed.  I am infinitely valuable to Him, so much so that He was willing to give the life of His only Son in order to redeem me into a right relationship with Him.  If I am that important to God, how can I see myself as any less?

True surrender to the Lord who made me perfect through faith means I can take on my true identity as His Image Bearer.  

I have been made perfect not by my own efforts but through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  As a result, I can learn to let go of fear and walk in His love, release the guilt that keeps me in the past, and see myself as a child who is precious in her Father's sight.  In this way I will live in a way that glorifies God.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can live as a child of the One True King.

When do I see myself more as a failure than a victor in Christ?

How am I dishonoring God by my own low view of myself; bearer of His image?