perfection and grace

Today we read from Romans 11:13-36 in the One Year Bible. And in this reading, we hear Paul tell us that God is both kind and severe. How's that?

Well, God calls us to be saints. We are all called to be perfect, like He is perfect. In heaven, which is our goal, we will be perfect. And that's the standard we're shooting for. That's a pretty high standard, right? Isn't God full of love and mercy and forgiveness? How can the standard be perfection when God is full of mercy?

The answer is that He is both kind and severe. He calls us to perfection, and He expects us to get there. But He also knows we're human, and that we're going to fall along the way. We're going to fall alot. Over and over. And He never wearies of forgiving us. As long as we keep trying, He keeps helping us. Eventually He'll get us there. The only way we can fail is if we give up.

Kind and severe. Infinite kindness, but great expectations. It's not one or the other. It's both.

God, thank You for expecting perfection from us - and for understanding that getting there is a process.