Thoughts
that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking
Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to
the audio file.
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"On your very worst day, God sees you as perfect; not because of how good you are but because of Jesus' sacrifice for you. Obviously we aren't perfect; but He sees us through the completed work of Jesus Christ."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 50.
So many of us place such a high priority on the pursuit of perfection in our lives. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing inappropriate about working as hard as one can to have excellence in all that we do. It's when we expect perfection to be a part of all that we do that the crippling effects of victim thinking can begin to have real impact in a person's life.
Why is that the case? Because perfection is an ever allusive and sometimes hard to define characteristic in the life of a human being. Worse than that, what one person considers perfection might not even rise to the level of excellence to another. The fact that the definition of perfection can often be such a personal issue makes it easier for those of us stuck and victim thinking to do things that might actually victimize others who are not living up to the standards we have set for ourselves.
Today's bible reading presents a very troubling directive for those in pursuit of perfection as some kind of proof that they are living the victor's life. It says about thin Matthew chapter four,
You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
For the person obsessed with perfection those first four words in the verse above drive fear deep into the soul. "You must be" perfect. The verse doesn't say you should be perfect, nor does it say that it is a good idea to be perfect. The verse doesn't even say that you should work as hard as you can to ensure that you are perfect. The verse is very clear, we must be perfect just as God is perfect. Just the thought of what it takes to live out the reality of that sentence makes me feel like giving up altogether.
You see there's no way I can live a perfect life 100% of the time. In fact, I have fallen short many times in the past so therefore it is completely impossible for me to live a perfect life. It's like a baseball player who has struck out only one time in his career. He will never be able to bat 1000 because of that one failure at bat.
The problem with trying to live a perfect life through our own efforts is that we are doomed to failure. When we remain in a place where it seems hopeless whether we will ever achieve what we feel we need in our lives victim thinking is sure to take hold.
Fortunately for us all, God knew that we would never be able to fulfill the Matthew 5:48 verse on our own. In fact he doesn't even expect us to try. You see we're perfect because of the finished work that Jesus Christ. That's what makes a victors even when victimhood looms in our life. It's not about how well we live this life, it's about how much we allow God to see us through the lens of Jesus that makes perfection attainable for us in this world.
Do you want to remove as much of the opportunity for victim thinking to take hold of your life today? My suggestion is live the life of the victor that God has provided for you. Pursue excellence and all you do that let Jesus be the standard for the perfection God is looking for in your life today. I guarantee you will feel so much less of the burden of living like a victor when you shift the responsibility for perfection from your shoulders to the shoulders of the one who paid the price for your victor status in the first place.
**********
"On your very worst day, God sees you as perfect; not because of how good you are but because of Jesus' sacrifice for you. Obviously we aren't perfect; but He sees us through the completed work of Jesus Christ."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis
Page 50.
So many of us place such a high priority on the pursuit of perfection in our lives. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing inappropriate about working as hard as one can to have excellence in all that we do. It's when we expect perfection to be a part of all that we do that the crippling effects of victim thinking can begin to have real impact in a person's life.
Why is that the case? Because perfection is an ever allusive and sometimes hard to define characteristic in the life of a human being. Worse than that, what one person considers perfection might not even rise to the level of excellence to another. The fact that the definition of perfection can often be such a personal issue makes it easier for those of us stuck and victim thinking to do things that might actually victimize others who are not living up to the standards we have set for ourselves.
Today's bible reading presents a very troubling directive for those in pursuit of perfection as some kind of proof that they are living the victor's life. It says about thin Matthew chapter four,
You must be perfect—just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NIV)
For the person obsessed with perfection those first four words in the verse above drive fear deep into the soul. "You must be" perfect. The verse doesn't say you should be perfect, nor does it say that it is a good idea to be perfect. The verse doesn't even say that you should work as hard as you can to ensure that you are perfect. The verse is very clear, we must be perfect just as God is perfect. Just the thought of what it takes to live out the reality of that sentence makes me feel like giving up altogether.
You see there's no way I can live a perfect life 100% of the time. In fact, I have fallen short many times in the past so therefore it is completely impossible for me to live a perfect life. It's like a baseball player who has struck out only one time in his career. He will never be able to bat 1000 because of that one failure at bat.
The problem with trying to live a perfect life through our own efforts is that we are doomed to failure. When we remain in a place where it seems hopeless whether we will ever achieve what we feel we need in our lives victim thinking is sure to take hold.
Fortunately for us all, God knew that we would never be able to fulfill the Matthew 5:48 verse on our own. In fact he doesn't even expect us to try. You see we're perfect because of the finished work that Jesus Christ. That's what makes a victors even when victimhood looms in our life. It's not about how well we live this life, it's about how much we allow God to see us through the lens of Jesus that makes perfection attainable for us in this world.
Do you want to remove as much of the opportunity for victim thinking to take hold of your life today? My suggestion is live the life of the victor that God has provided for you. Pursue excellence and all you do that let Jesus be the standard for the perfection God is looking for in your life today. I guarantee you will feel so much less of the burden of living like a victor when you shift the responsibility for perfection from your shoulders to the shoulders of the one who paid the price for your victor status in the first place.
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