Hammer on Anvil '

Have you ever had something in life that you wanted to achieve but in all of your power, you simply could not do it? 

I wrestled in high school and at the end of each practice we were required to climb ropes.  The ceiling was about 40 feet high.  This was great strength training and exercise.  The thing was that the number escalated as the season went on.  We started with 6, then 9 then 12 and by the end of the season each athlete had to climb 18 times.  Here was the kicker – if you could climb with no feet, it counted as 2.  It became my goal to climb with no feet.  The issue became – once you got about 30 feet in the air… it was a long way to fall.  I could get way up there but every time fear kicked in and I used my feet.

I am in the process of writing and developing a bible study series called “Nobody’s Perfect.”  God has set this standard for us:  “be holy because I am holy.”  Perfection is our Christian standard, and it is much like those 8 ropes that hung innocently on the west side of our wrestling room.  It was something I wanted to do but struggled to accomplish.

We can struggle with a lot of questions when dealing with this lofty expectation.

How can God require something that we cannot attain?

Should we hang our heads in shame at our pitiful attempt at perfection?

Should we be discouraged?

Should we just give up the pursuit of holiness?

The beautiful part of God’s requirement is that He provides what we need.  By grace, by mercy, by love Jesus became our sin and we became His perfection.