TEXT: 1 Peter 5:10
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
GOD DEMANDS PERFECTION
No matter how close you are to God, you must strive for perfection because he demands it. Abraham was close to God, but God told him bluntly: "..I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect"
(Gen 17:1). It was after this that God began to perfect everything concerning Abraham and his family. The Lord will perfect all concerning you and your family in Jesus name.
PERFECTION - A LIFE LONG JOURNEY
Our walk with God starts with him perfecting our hearts. After receiving Jesus as our Lord and Saviour as new born believers, the process of purging and purifying our hearts begins (sanctification). It is a life long process of submitting and surrendering to God in every area. God breaks and moulds us until we become consecrated to him. The Lord will break and mould you into a beautiful vessel of honour in Jesus name.
God declares our hearts perfect before him by purging and purifying our hearts like a refiner of silver and gold. Malachi 3:3 says: "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." We need, on our part, to open the doors of our hearts to God for this important work of grace to be accomplished. God is willing to purge our hearts of every dross if we are ready to submit and surrender to the Holy Spirit. "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer" (Prov 25:4). For saints to walk perfect before God, the dross of self righteousness and sin must be removed.
ABIDING IN GOD'S PRESENCE IS ESSENTIAL TO WALK PERFECT BEFORE HIM
Satan is always devising means to render our garments of salvation filthy and unclean but God always renews his mercies upon our lives to perfect our salvation. In Zechariah 3:1-5, Joshua the high priest stood before God's court and Satan was there to accuse him. The mercy of God prevailed over judgment and Joshua's filthy garments were replaced with purified ones. In Isaiah 6:5, Prophet Isaiah had the privilege of being in God's presence and he instantly recognised his filthy state and declared: "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Holiness is the signature of God's domain. As long as we remain in God's presence and depend on him, he will continually, by his mercy, perfect our heart and salvation. An angel had to purify Isaiah's mouth with coals of fire for him to abide in God's holy presence (Isa 6:6-7). God is the one that gives us grace to do his will and remain holy and perfect before him. The Lord will replace your filthy garment with a righteous one. His mercy will prevail over judgment in your life in Jesus name.
GOD PERFECTS HIS SAINTS
A perfect heart renders perfect praise to God which moves God to perfect everything in our lives. Psalms 138:8 says: "The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands." A perfect heart lifted in praise to God allows God to inhabit such vessel to perfect everything concerning the believer. God knows how to perfectly strengthen, establish and settle his children according to 1 Peter 5:10: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
God will settle you perfectly in Jesus name.
PRAYER:
Father, by your mercy perfect all that concerns me and my family this year in Jesus name.
CONCLUSION:
I am God's workmanship moulded for good works.
God bless you. Shalom.
