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Perfection, complete, at shalom

I am loving my year bible. I think I am managing consistency better because I understand how to do it. With all things in life read the instructions, they are there for a reason. One of the cool things about things about doing the bible this way is that you reading over things you have maybe read over a thousand times but you are required to read the section as they are laid out and there are no headings and subheadings to distract one from what is there. It is important to read things in there context. Anyway, what I want to share with you is this from Matthew 5
47”You have heard the law that says ‘Love your neighbour’ and hate your enemy.44 But I say love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are your different from anyone else? Even pagans do that? 48 But you are to be perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
The first time I read this I was like wow! The Bible actually uses the word perfect. I believe we are supposed to esteem to perfection. If we believe that we are esteeming to be like Christ (otherwise what are we doing?), who is perfect and without blemish, then we are to be perfect. Catch my train of thought? So when I read this I did a little dance (I’ve been told before perfection is impossible). My theology student husband as something called an exeGeses bible, which is a parallel bible. So I decided to check the Greek to make sure I wasn’t getting excited over nothing.
Matthew 5:48
“So be complete/ at shalom, exactly as your Father is in the heavens is complete/ at shalom”
The perfection used in the King James (not used but in the exeGeses ) and in the New Living Translation means to be completed, at peace. Wow!
If you are go back and read over the whole portion we are to love even our enemies. Love seems like it really important to God, so it should be really important to us.
This was just something I thought was cool that I wanted to share.
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