Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Does this verse frighten you a little? The thought of being perfect as God is perfect is pretty heavy. But I think we tend to think of our definition of perfect, which according to Merriam Webster dictionary means: being entirely without fault or defect. We KNOW we are not without fault, mainly because we know we are all born as sinners. However, the Biblical view of perfect is to be brought to its end, completeness.
So when we read this verse it does not mean that we are supposed to be flawless; it means we are to be complete in God. In context, this is where Jesus is telling us to love not only our neighbors but to also love our enemies and those who mean harm to us. Just as the Father's love is complete, our love for others should be complete. This includes being merciful to others, as God as merciful to us. Even though this may not always be easy to do, we are to strive for this.
We know we will never be flawless as long as we are in this human body. However, we can strive to be more like Jesus. You probably remember a while back when the big thing was the bracelets with WWJD on them--What Would Jesus Do? And while it was kind of gimmicky, it is a good way to respond to people and situations. Today, let us look to Jesus for guidance to be as much like Him as humanly possible.
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