Perfection Required

Perfection Required
And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. —Leviticus 22: 21
When it came to sacrifices, God demanded perfection because He knew man’s tendency to offer the castoffs to Him. “I’ll just offer God my old, blind cow… or that lamb that broke its leg last week. It is not going to survive. Let’s sacrifice it to God.”
** In your desire to have fellowship with God, how do you approach Him?
Do you think that you can just approach God as you are?
Some people seek to approach God on the basis of their good works. But are your works perfect? Not only must the works be perfect, but the motivation behind the works must be perfect. That immediately eliminates me. And it surely eliminates my works.
Some try to seek God through the church. They believe the church will save them. But the church is filled with imperfections, and the rites of the church are administered by imperfect men.
Our only hope for fellowship with God is through a perfect sacrifice. Jesus is that perfect sacrifice, and outside of Him, there is no way for us to have fellowship with God. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said. “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14: 6).
Help us, Lord, not to be so foolish approaching You with our imperfect efforts. May we come by the way of Jesus Christ into that life of fellowship—loving You, walking with You, and being one with You through Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Excerpts from this daily devotion are taken from teachings by Pastor Chuck Smith- founder of the Calvary Chapel movement.