MUSINGS

PERFECTION When God begins a work He has in view, and will reach, a perfect result.

David had the sense of this in Psalm 138—“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me … Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me”. How comforting to have this assurance, that even trouble and adversity are being used to bring about what is perfect. In the parable as to the sower the Lord likens the seed that fell among thorns to those who “bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8: 14), showing that perfect fruit was in His mind, the work of God reaching a full, rich result. This can only be by the Spirit. Paul says to the Galatians, “Having begun in Spirit, are ye going to be made perfect in flesh?”. The legal line among them sought to recognise the flesh, but if there is to be a perfect result for God it must be “in Spirit”.

So let us have perfection before us. Even to the young company at Thessalonica Paul speaks of perfection—“night and day beseeching exceedingly to the end that we may see your face, and perfect what is lacking in your faith”, 1 Thessalonians 3: 10. Paul’s steady aim in his toil and combat was to “present every man perfect in Christ”, Colossians l: 28.

Then God is working to secure perfection in the assembly, spoken of typically in Psalm 50 as “Zion, the perfection of beauty”. What a rich field for meditation there is in that expression!

God will reach His end. Wherever His eye rests there will be perfect beauty in formation according to Christ, in intelligence, grace, adornment, a beauty the like of which has never before been seen, fully answering to the ideals of eternal pleasure and purpose. It will shine under the divine gaze for the delight and glory and rest of God. Already in the service of God we have a powerful sense of it.

So perfection is to be before us in our prayers and in our service. If in any measure we are God’s fellow-workmen then we must have His own great objectives before us, and along with that a keen and sensitive judgment of every element that would interfere with progress toward them.

FCM

Published by F. C. Mutton, 22 Christchurch Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4QY, England Printed by C. Ellis, Billericay, Essex, England