Sunday, November 16, 2014
Continuing my study of "The Law of the Lord is..."
The law of the Lord is:
- Perfect
The third definition of perfect from the good 'ol dictionary is:
Truth be told.. I took a bit of a break between the last entry and completing this one. Life throws us curve balls, or in my case a giant work project that pretty much consumed most of my free time, such that my quiet times turned into 10 minute reads of scripture in the morning followed by prayer and a hurried rush to get out of the house to work. Life.
Coming back to this from break, I realized that there is a lot of similarities between my last entry and where definition #3 takes me. The amazing thing, to me, about how God works in our personal lives is that he is so personal. Each day, each adventure, each moment is personal to us. And how the Spirit uses scripture, "The Law," and our experiences is personal to our journey.
In that regard, it just makes sense that The Law fits the need of our many situations.
Daniel 2:21-22 says:
"He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him."
I always consider it a valuable skill, a gift if you will, to be able to see the fingerprints of God in our lives in the moments that they occur. To know and understand that what God is working out in us at the time it is happening is a wonderful thing. It's something that rarely happens... we usually see what God was up to after the fact. It takes time for us to realize that something we were going through at one time was preparing us for a future moment.
So we see that in every season of our lives God is at work, bringing to light what he has been working on in our lives... bringing us knowledge when we need it, and keeping it "hidden" from us when it is best for us.
In that way, The Law becomes perfect for us. God's revelations to us along our path, through his law are priceless. They are indications of what He is up to, of what we need, of our path to greater growth.
The law of the Lord is:
- Perfect
The third definition of perfect from the good 'ol dictionary is:
3. Exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose: a perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber; a perfect saw for cutting out keyholes.
Truth be told.. I took a bit of a break between the last entry and completing this one. Life throws us curve balls, or in my case a giant work project that pretty much consumed most of my free time, such that my quiet times turned into 10 minute reads of scripture in the morning followed by prayer and a hurried rush to get out of the house to work. Life.
Coming back to this from break, I realized that there is a lot of similarities between my last entry and where definition #3 takes me. The amazing thing, to me, about how God works in our personal lives is that he is so personal. Each day, each adventure, each moment is personal to us. And how the Spirit uses scripture, "The Law," and our experiences is personal to our journey.
In that regard, it just makes sense that The Law fits the need of our many situations.
Daniel 2:21-22 says:
"He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him."
I always consider it a valuable skill, a gift if you will, to be able to see the fingerprints of God in our lives in the moments that they occur. To know and understand that what God is working out in us at the time it is happening is a wonderful thing. It's something that rarely happens... we usually see what God was up to after the fact. It takes time for us to realize that something we were going through at one time was preparing us for a future moment.
So we see that in every season of our lives God is at work, bringing to light what he has been working on in our lives... bringing us knowledge when we need it, and keeping it "hidden" from us when it is best for us.
In that way, The Law becomes perfect for us. God's revelations to us along our path, through his law are priceless. They are indications of what He is up to, of what we need, of our path to greater growth.
Perfect - continued...
Today I'm continuing with my study of what it means that "the law of the Lord is perfect."
The law of the Lord is:
Perfect
The second definition for "perfect" in the dictionary is this:
I think this is the definition we most think of when we think perfect or perfection. In truth, "perfect" is a little subjective - it tends to be a concept that's held in the eye of the beholder. For the perfectionist, her work may never reach this definition of perfect while others applaud and put her work at the top of its field.
Is there such a thing as the perfect person? One could argue in Christian circles that Christ was perfect, but this is forgetting that Christ bled, his body was human, he had imperfections - by our definitions. There are some faiths for whom that reality lies in stark contrast to what they conceive the savior to be. But in order to be that which we believe him to be, he had to be imperfect - he had to be like us, to understand life as us.
In the US, our collective conception of a perfect form of government is one that recognizes its imperfections and seeks through its populace, and its government, to constantly transform into that which is best for the nation. A perfect government is one that recognizes that it is created/run/owned by imperfect people.
And so we have our faith... a faith built on the Law which we know from scripture that Christ fulfilled. I just did a quick look and found Hebrews 7 is full of "perfect" references to Christ and the law and the priest... a fun exploration when you have the time... in fact this whole thread I'm walking on is I'm sure a masters program at many divinity schools.
Which brings me to the meat of my thoughts for today.
As inherently flawed beings, we cannot grasp the concept of true perfection. None of us is it, none of us has seen it, and none of us will until we meet God face to face. And he knows that / knew that, which is why the words of the law are perfect for us. Through the Spirit we are lead to that which fits our needs today. When we dwell on and meditate on the word of the Lord to us, we find spiritual and practical nourishment we need for our life's journey. We are strengthened in resolve, in our moral grounding, and in ourselves to step forward each day and be the men and women we want to be, we are called to be. The Law, no matter how you see it, is perfect for building that within us.
The law of the Lord is:
Perfect
The second definition for "perfect" in the dictionary is this:
2. Excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement: There is no perfect legal code. The proportions of this temple are almost perfect.
I think this is the definition we most think of when we think perfect or perfection. In truth, "perfect" is a little subjective - it tends to be a concept that's held in the eye of the beholder. For the perfectionist, her work may never reach this definition of perfect while others applaud and put her work at the top of its field.
Is there such a thing as the perfect person? One could argue in Christian circles that Christ was perfect, but this is forgetting that Christ bled, his body was human, he had imperfections - by our definitions. There are some faiths for whom that reality lies in stark contrast to what they conceive the savior to be. But in order to be that which we believe him to be, he had to be imperfect - he had to be like us, to understand life as us.
In the US, our collective conception of a perfect form of government is one that recognizes its imperfections and seeks through its populace, and its government, to constantly transform into that which is best for the nation. A perfect government is one that recognizes that it is created/run/owned by imperfect people.
And so we have our faith... a faith built on the Law which we know from scripture that Christ fulfilled. I just did a quick look and found Hebrews 7 is full of "perfect" references to Christ and the law and the priest... a fun exploration when you have the time... in fact this whole thread I'm walking on is I'm sure a masters program at many divinity schools.
Which brings me to the meat of my thoughts for today.
As inherently flawed beings, we cannot grasp the concept of true perfection. None of us is it, none of us has seen it, and none of us will until we meet God face to face. And he knows that / knew that, which is why the words of the law are perfect for us. Through the Spirit we are lead to that which fits our needs today. When we dwell on and meditate on the word of the Lord to us, we find spiritual and practical nourishment we need for our life's journey. We are strengthened in resolve, in our moral grounding, and in ourselves to step forward each day and be the men and women we want to be, we are called to be. The Law, no matter how you see it, is perfect for building that within us.
