Be Thou Perfect

UV 3502/10000 Be Thou Perfect

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said,
I am God Almighty; Walk habitually before Me ( with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence), and be blameless and complete ( in obedience to Me).

Genesis 17 v 1

Abram was set a goal by God – “be thou perfect.” It is surprising that this goal was set for him not when he was a young man but when he was aged, showing that it is never too late to try to be perfect. Jesus later made this applicable to every believer, “Be perfect because Your Father in heaven is perfect.” James, the apostle wrote that the one who has control over his tongue is perfect. The Lord desires perfection in His children. In all our habits, we are to aim for perfection. Knowing that we are always in His presence, we are to aim for perfection in our speech, our behaviour, our actions and reactions. Perfection is not superficial. It is to be blameless not only in the eyes of fellow humans but in the all-seeing, all-knowing sight of God. We can evade the sight of man by wearing different types of masks but the Lord sees the working of our hearts and minds. He understands our every thought and emotion. Perfection grows on us as we increase in our obedience of the Lord and His word. Obedience, the uni-verse says, has to be complete or total and uncompromising in every area of our lives. There is to be no dichotomy of our private life that God sees and knows and our public life which we manifest or reveal to others.

The challenge for us is how can we be perfect in a grossly imperfect world. The standards of speech, behaviour and integrity of the world are different from that indicated in the word of God. This is where Paul’s dictum is relevant that we should not conform to the world but be transformed from within by the renewal of our minds by our constant reading, studying, meditating and applying the Word of God in our daily lives. If our speech is to be perfected, we need to constantly measure our speech against the guidelines written in the Word, for instance, Paul’s golden rule written in the letter to the Ephesians, “ Let your speech be wholesome, edifying and equipping” the hearer to be faithful. Again Paul wrote, “Speak the truth in a spirit of love..”


We cannot be perfect on our own strength. We need the grace or help of God. Nothing is impossible for Him and He can make it possible for us to control our tongues, our passions, develop healthy, clean and disciplined habits. We need the Holy Spirit by our side to guide and prod us in the right direction. To try to be perfect is to do our utmost to be like Christ, to imitate Him. Imitating Christ is the highest and most acceptable form of worship of God.