March 4 - Aim for Perfection

Today's Reading:
2 Kings 23:31-25:30
2 Corinthians 13:1-14
Psalm 105:12-22 
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Focus Verses:
2 Corinthians 13:11-14
11 Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Insight:
Paul concludes this difficult letter with very straightforward instruction and blessing. He tells the Corinthians to aim for perfection, be of one mind, and to live in peace. He assures them that, as they do this, the God of peace will be with them. He reminds them of kinship believers should have with each other. He prays that the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives will strengthen them toward holiness and unity.

Response and Action:
I want to aim for perfection—wholeness and completeness through Christ. I want to live in fellowship and unity with all followers of Christ. These desires are consistent with God's desires for his people; he will be with me as I pursue them. As I do, I need to look to the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

O God, thank you for your love, your grace, and your power. Help me to grow in Christ—make me holy, mature, deep, and complete in him. Help me to do all this in the company of Christian friends. Help us to encourage and help each other; give us oneness and peace as we follow Jesus together. Amen.

Spiritual Formation Verses: Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Resources:
The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends
by Richard Lamb