Perfect Imperfection

Have you ever felt like you just aren't good enough to serve Jesus - maybe because of something you have done or something that was done to you? This Sunday we will explore Peter's denial of Jesus on the eve of His crucifixion, and what this event teaches us about failure, redemption, hope and perseverance. Check out Lk. 22:21-23, 31-34, 54-62; and John 21:15-19.

If you are like me, it is easy to find yourself in Peter's sandals. The good news is, God is not surprised by your sin, failure or dysfunction. God calls us while we are sinners (Romans 5:8). He makes us His while we are completely incapable of living as He desires (Ephesians 2:1-3), apart from His soul transforming love and grace (Ephesians 2:4-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17). We are completely dependent upon God to be and do what He demands of us.

Amazingly, as we walk with Him by faith, God uses imperfect people like us to accomplish His perfect purposes on earth. While God does not need us, He loves us and is in control over every detail in our lives. This means that our sin, failure and dysfunction, like every part of our lives is completely under His sovereign control and part of His perfect plan to glorify Himself through us. Morever, as we will see, our weaknesses do not disqualify us from growing in Christ and shining His light in the world. They actually qualify us to experience and reflect God's amazing grace through the "cracks" in our lives (2 Corinthians 12:9).

How refreshing to know Jesus is not waiting for us to become perfect or to put the pieces of our lives together before He will use us. He calls us simply to admit we are a mess apart from him, invite Him to wrap us in His immovable perfection, and trust Him to transform us from the inside out - as He uses us in our imperfections to shine His light to imperfect people.

You don't have to have it all together to live for Jesus. Quite the opposite. As we learn from the life of Peter, you are actually at your weakest when you think you are standing strong. It is only as you acknowledge your weakness and desperate need for God that you become (spiritually) strong, because God's perfect power is most prevalent in our lives when we admit our brokenness and submit all that we are (and are not) to Him.

What does this stir in your heart and mind? What questions does this raise? Maybe you would like to respond to last week's sermon on cultivating a righteous fury against sin. Your call. Let's blog.

pastor john