“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”      Matthew 5:48

Every time I read this verse, I become more aware of just how imperfect I am.  Most of us do not want to think about this.  It means we have to face mistakes and poor decisions we have made.  The Lord’s command in this very short, very important verse is just that – a command.  So why would He tell us to do something so difficult, actually insisting on it? Because we are never to stop trying to be the best people we can be, to be pleasing to our creator & Lord. This non-optional command to “be perfect…,” summarizes the Lord’s teaching in the preceding and following chapters and verses regarding how we are to live our lives as believers. He tells us to be “salt and light” and covers such important human matters as marriage, divorce, hatred, anger, revenge, taking oaths, talking too much, prayer, fasting and loving the unlovable, judging others, worrying and more.  Let’s keep trying to be perfect and to be like our Heavenly father who is perfect.