Monthly Archives: June 2023

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

A perfectionist is someone who believes that a task must be done in a flawless manner. Setting this unrealistically high standard inevitably sets one up for frustration and failure. The constant pressure to be perfect is exhausting and leads to burnout.

The problem with perfectionism should be obvious: We are not perfect, so nothing we do on this side of the grave will ever be perfect. To wit, perfectionism paralyzes our potential. It leads to harsh self-criticism, which in turn leads to low self-esteem. Procrastination sets in; we hesitate and delay because we know that won’t get things done perfectly, and our potential for serving our Lord is paralyzed.

But this is not for you! Let me make one thing clear: perfectionism is not the same thing as pursuing excellence. The pursuit of excellence is doing the very best we can with the resources God has given us to do it with. Our time, talents, and treasure are offered up to God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but we leave the results up to Him.

Here is where Satan loves to muddy the waters. He hisses at us urgently, “Do more! Try harder! Be perfect!” Excellence is not enough if perfection is our goal. We misapply Jesus’ words, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), and our forward progress is paralyzed. The truth is that Jesus was not talking about our service to God, but our salvation before God; only Jesus could satisfy God’s demand for perfection through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.

I have learned over the years that the best way to keep from sliding into perfectionism is to continue reading through the stories of the heroes of the Bible. Other than Jesus, every one of them was stained with sin and did everything imperfectly. They all demonstrated their “clay feet.” Abraham tried to short-circuit God’s promise and slept with Hagar, his wife’s servant. Moses murdered an Egyptian taskmaster. Moses’ brother Aaron fashioned a golden calf after the exodus out of Egypt. Rahab was a prostitute. David committed adultery and murder. Martha was distracted and irritable in her hospitality. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the church. Imperfect people always produce imperfect results.

Because God knows our perfectionistic tendencies and temptations, His Story recounts people just like you and me, shining the light of truth on all their blemishes and warts for all the world to see. No matter how hard we try, perfection is beyond our reach until we reach the other side. For now, we must simply be committed to doing the best we can for God’s glory and the good of others; if we do that, our potential will not be paralyzed by our perfectionism.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

If our faith is real, it will be evident for all the world to see. Now, I am not saying we will live perfect lives; far from it! But the way we live is on display for all the world to see; therefore our faith must be a practical faith. Notice the “lived-out faith” in the verbs linked to these biblical characters in the “Hall of Fame of Faith” section in the book of Hebrews:

• By faith Abel brought . . .
• By faith Noah built . . .
• By faith Abraham went and offered . . .
• By faith Isaac blessed . . .
• By faith Joseph gave instructions . . .
• By faith Moses chose to be mistreated along with the people of God . . .
• By faith the people passed through the Red Sea . . .
• By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed . . .

In all these lives and so many more that are chronicled throughout the pages of Scripture, we see how actions speak louder than words. It has been well said that, “What you do speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you say.” To be sure, we are to walk by faith and not by sight, but we can also be sure that the watching world will judge us by what they see us do. If our faith is a true faith, it will be lived out, alive and well, even though it will always be lived out imperfectly.

Faith in Christ is belief in Christ and His atoning death on our behalf, but it does not stop there! Belief must be evidenced by behavior, and what we believe will determine how we behave. We are saved to serve our Lord for His glory and the good of others.

So . . . what verbs are putting on display to express the faith you have in Jesus? Are your actions speaking louder than your words? Far too many believers have reduced their faith to what they don’t do. “I don’t do this and I don’t do that. Some wag has expressed it as, “I don’t drink or smoke or chew, and I don’t go with girls who do.”

The real question that each of us must ask and answer is, What am I doing for the glory of Jesus?  True faith is faith that is acted upon and used by God to expand the cause of His Kingdom in this world – on earth as it is in heaven.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Elijah said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19:10)

From the mountain peak to the deep valley below, we all experience what the prophet Elijah experienced from time to time. It’s called burnout. I know some Christians are not willing to admit it, because they have been taught to “Keep a stiff upper lip” and “Never let anyone see you sweat.” But clinging to such platitudes is as sad as it is silly. Because we have not yet been perfected — and we won’t be until we are received into glory — we will all go through “Broom Tree Experiences” from time to time. We will . . .

Become exhausted

Feel alone

Get depressed

Believe that we’re ready to give up

God had just used the prophet Elijah to defend His glory by defeating 450 prophets of Baal. But after taking part in one of the greatest victories in all of the Bible, Elijah came to the end of his proverbial rope because the pagan queen Jezebel sent word that she was going to have Elijah killed within 24 hours. Elijah fell into a false sense of failure and wanted to simply end it all and make the pain go away, “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die” (1 Kings 19:4).

God was having none of that! God met Elijah in his place of deep need and miraculously provided for his needs. Elijah needed refreshment and restoration, and God provided food — both physical and spiritual. As he slept under the broom tree, an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “Arise and eat!”  

We have all had broom tree experiences. We have given our all in the service of God, and our “all” just didn’t seem like enough. We felt drained and depressed, and we lapsed into despair. Then God showed up! And He keeps on showing up every time we go through these seasons of struggle. When you find yourself sitting under the broom tree for whatever reason, remember that the Lord is with you, He is for you, and He is in you. And He is speaking the same words to you today that He spoke to Elijah: “Arise and eat!”  

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!