Jesus commands us, in Matthew 5:43-48 to love people, which Jesus says is being “perfect” like God, who is “perfect”, meaning God is “complete love”, so His children must also have His “complete love”, in the same way Ephesians 3:14-21 describes, and Colossians 2:6-10 tells us Christ is our “perfect”, “complete”, and “fullness”, in the same way God is “perfect”, “complete”, and “full” within His children, Christ’s body, the church.
Matthew 5:43-48—43 “You have heard it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Ephesians 3:14-21—14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 1 7so Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, in agreement with His power working within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Colossians 2:6-10—6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the Head over every power and authority.
Christ Jesus is God’s “perfection”, “completeness”, and “fullness”; therefore, as long as we are in Christ Jesus, as members of His body, the church, He is our “righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30); thus, we are “perfectly right with God”, needing nothing else, because Jesus, as Lord, did everything for us God requires us to do, and Jesus, as Christ, became for us everything God requires us to become; therefore, now we “serve the Lord Christ”, as Acts 2:36 and Colossians 3:23-24, reveal.
1 Corinthians 1:30—30 It is because of Him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
Acts 2:36—36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Messiah, Anointed One).”
Colossians 3:23-24—23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Therefore, we turn everything in life over to the Lord Jesus Christ, and then trust Him, knowing His plan, time, and will already include every detail of what we are facing.
From Psalm 139:13-16 and Ephesians 1:3-14, we know God foreknew every detail of our lives before He created anything; He already knew what we would face, how it would affect us, and if it would bring us to Him or turn us away from Him, for He gave us a free-will and He honors it, but Jesus says in John 14:12-14, whatever we ask of Him, in His name, He will do for us, so ask the Lord Jesus in His name, to remove from you the desire to sin and place in you the desire to love and serve Him, regardless of what you face, or what people do or say to you—forgive them.
Jim Nabors
