Perfect

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (NIV)

This painting was done by one of my dearest friends, Jamie Williams.

As I meditated on this scripture and as it has been taught to me several times, I am always reminded that there are good gifts and there are perfect gifts. In life there is the perfect and there is the good. I believe that good is forever the enemy of perfect. One of the enemy's trickiest illusions is getting us to settle for the good when God intends for us to have the perfect. 

I have constantly experienced this in my own life. Recently, God has revealed to me that I was settling for good in many areas of my life. It's really pretty ridiculous.

I like to relate this concept to shopping, merely because I love to shop. When spending your own money, there are many things you will not settle for. If it's my money, I'm not going to buy something I don't like just because it's cheap. And I would never not buy something I loved and had the money for just because it's expensive. When it comes to my money, I'm just not down for settling on a purchase when I worked hard for the money I spend.

But why am I comfortable with settling when it comes to the gifts of the spirit or when it comes to my everyday Christian life?

I was stuck in goodness for so long. What is so deceiving about the trap of settling for the good is that  it's good! The stigma of Christian living has been minimized to getting by. Getting into heaven by the skim of your teeth. "Oh, Lord! If I could just make it in!"

Trash.

The heart of God is not that we barely make it into eternal dwelling but that we live victoriously and bear much fruit while on this earth. The mediocre defeated life of the American Christian is no longer enough for me. I had settled for a mediocre prayer life and a compromising spirit had attached itself to me when I bought into the lie of the enemy that perfect was not for me.

Today I ask you, along with me, to vow to never settle for less than what God has promised you. If the devil can't get you on his side, he will do everything he can to disable you on this side. Let's decide to live life to the fullest.