Episode 46: Focusing on Progress or Perfection

We should want to be perfect but we know that the harder we try, the more we fail.  We just cannot attain perfection, especially as we try to on our own.

In this episode I look at focusing on progress rather than perfection and bring some encouraging words from scripture of how we can do this and why this is acceptable to God.

I invite you to listen as we progress in our walk with the Master

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Please contact me if you have questions or you wish to share with me something about your walk with the Master. My email is walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com

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Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to the podcast, Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we daily walk with our Master.  

In this episode, I want to look at progress or perfection. 

As a parent I know the joy of seeing my children grow into maturity.  The pathway they took had a lot of challenges.  Sometimes they excelled and sometimes not.  But through it all we saw progress.  

I want to think about that as I apply that understanding to our relationship with God and our journey to spiritual maturity.  We sometimes take faltering steps.  Sometimes we take giant leaps.  Sometimes we fall flat.  But if we are faithful to our journey, we will increase our spiritual maturity and become more of who God wants us to be.  What He wants is for us to be like his son, Jesus.  

I want to look at a few thoughts about progress and perfection.  Keep in mind that our Lord does not demand perfection.  He does demand faithfulness.  We can’t be perfect, but we can be faithful.   

Let’s be sure we understand the terms progress and perfection before we go further.  Progress means making gradual steps forward, moving ahead in our actions as we look to change and develop.  We also understand that progress is usually not steady.  It ebbs and flows as life happens.

Perfection means the most favorable condition or the highest level. It means to be without flaws or defects; faultless; complete; pure.  We cannot achieve perfection, especially on our own.   

But one of the definitions of perfection is within our reach.  That definition is the concept of completeness.  But remember, it is God who makes us complete through our Lord, Jesus Christ.  

The apostle Paul reminds us of this in Colossians 2:9-10.  He states, “ 

"For in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." 

We also read about completeness and maturity in James 1:4, James states, "Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  

Unfortunately, it is easy to focus on perfection.  Although that is a goal, we never reach perfection in this life.  We can however show progress as we faithfully follow our Lord Jesus. 

To focus on progress, not perfection, helps us appreciate the efforts we are making towards our goal.  Again, I refer to Paul.  He stated in Philippians 3:12-14,  

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Did you catch some key points in this passage.  He states he has not obtained perfection, but he presses on.  In other words, he is focusing on progress in his own life.  

Remember, this is Paul, the author of most of the New Testament, an apostle of Our Lord.  Yet he was also human like you and me and therefore subject to mistakes and failures.  He acknowledges this is Romans 7, even referring to himself as a wretched man.  Yet he also reminds us that it is through Jesus Christ that we have salvation. 

Progress allows us to see the success of small steps that further encourage us to persist.  Persisting is another way to understand faithfulness.   

Certainly, we want goals towards which we strive.  But to focus on perfection leads to misdirection and frustration.  It can cause us to not see our progress

At the same time, we should not demand perfection in others.  We must look at ourselves.  We have to be careful of comparing others to ourselves, in other words, using ourself as a standard…that can lead to a faulty judgement and pride.  We must also be careful of comparing ourselves to others.  That can be a source of discouragement.  Certainly, we see qualities in others that we can learn from and imitate, but God’s word establishes the standard, not imperfect humans.   

Here are some ideas to help us progress to completeness in our spiritual journey.  

Start with smaller, more attainable goals.  These enable us to progress.  For example, if there is something in our life that we know we need to change or remove, then we can focus on that.

We can accept mistakes, but we learn from them and keep moving forward.  That is why repentance is critical and ongoing.   I’ve said it many times and I will continue to say it that one of the most hope filled promises from God is found in 1 John 1:5-9.  John reminds us that all of us sin but if we are living faithfully and recognize and repent of our sins then we are not lost from God.

 Recognize what we’ve already accomplished and give God the glory.  This means we can celebrate our successes as we recognize our growth.  This is not done in a prideful way, but with humility.

 We must reframe negative thoughts in a positive way. In Philippians 4:8 Paul tells us 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

We can do this by seeking guidance and wisdom of others to help us learn and grow.

And perhaps most importantly, we must make certain that our goals align with God’s will.

The idea of progress over perfection is not a new concept for us.  In 1 Timothy 4:15-16 Paul gives some advice to Timothy and us along this line of thought.  As he is concluding his letter, he tells Timothy to “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.  

We know that as we try to learn something we do so by practice and immersion.  Immersion means we are completely surrounded with it until eventually it becomes who we are.  That’s how many learn a foreign language or adopt a new way of living.  As applies to our journey to spiritual maturity, it means moving away from things we are putting away and moving towards what we are looking to become.  

Something else to remember, our Lord did not give up on the apostles when they failed.  He forgave them, reinstated them, and put them back to work in His Kingdom.  That’s what He does with us when we return to Him.  Like the apostles and so many others, we find forgiveness and acceptance.  We don’t quit, we don’t give in.  We get back up, brush ourselves off, and get back into the battle. 

I am thankful that God does not demand perfection.  I cannot be perfect, but I can be faithful.  Not on my own, but with God’s love, following Jesus’ teachings, and god’s Holy Spirit guiding and strengthening me.

Well friends, I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining us in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you would like to learn more, please email me at:

walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

 I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.