The Listening Heart ~ Be OR Do?
It is very easy to get stuck in “doing” life and forget who we are and how to be who we were made to be. Or, our identity becomes tangled up in what we do!
There are always opportunities to be doing and it’s easy to miss the opportunity to just BE! There is always one more thing that needs to be done! We get; “burned out”, “stressed out”, “overwhelmed” and “overcommitted” with all of the things that we think we NEED to be doing. At this point, it’s easy to become an enemy toward anyone who wants us to DO one more thing! So, let’s just slow down a bit and consider what our Savior says:
Matt. 5:48 says, “Therefore, you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
NOW I HAVE TO BE PERFECT?!?!
Here are a couple of observations to consider:
1-Jesus is the One speaking in this passage and He is giving us a directive in character development!
2-We are called to BE perfect NOT to DO perfect things! We are not perfected in our doing - our actions, but our being - our existing PRESENT TENSE!
3-The place of perfection is heaven NOT earth. It is perfect because that is where the Father dwells.
4-The person of perfection is Father (GK. pater: the masculine parent of all rational and intelligent beings, whether angels or men, because He is their Creator, Preserver, Guardian and Protector)
5-”Perfect” in the Greek is, teleios and means: to depend on the power of One, to be prompted and governed by One, and reflect His character
So let’s understand and apply this verse through the Greek:
To show what ought now to be done by reason of what has been said, you are to depend on the power of One, to be prompted and governed by One, and reflect His character, just as dwelling in heaven, Father of all rational and intelligent beings, whether angels or men, because He is their Creator, Preserver, Guardian and Protector - is Complete.
Backing up to verses to 44 and 45, we learn that we are talking about loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us! It’s easy to love and pray for those who are our friends and those who agree with us! It is far harder to pray for those we don’t like or who don’t like us, and those who want to harm us! This is impossible in and of ourselves to accomplish, so we are told to depend on the power of our heavenly Father because He is our Creator, Preserver, Guardian, and Protector. He is complete and perfect! He is the Father of all rational and intelligent beings whether angels or men - yes even our enemies!
It is still early in 2020 and never too late to resolve to be obedient! To be able to “BE” anything good for God - good to ourselves - and good to others requires His grace to BE at work in our lives. It is our responsibility as His child to desire, aim at, and press toward perfection in grace and holiness. We must study to conform ourselves to the example of our heavenly Father. When we begin to just BE by finding our existence in Him, and in the study and application of His teaching, our DOING will no longer define us - but the fruits of our BEING will!
BE strong! BE truthful! BE peaceful! BE righteous! BE faithful! BE in Christ! BE obedient! BE prayerful!
Equals BEING blessed to BE a blessing!