I am not the perfect christian

How burdened are you with being the perfect Christian, with always doing and saying the right thing? Do you often feel burdened to say encouraging things, pray a certain way, read the bible a certain amount? How's it working for ya? Do you feel buried by a huge heap of expectations that you will never live up to? Is it squeezing the enjoyment out of you?

To a degree we all have a bit of Pharisee in us both in what we expect of ourselves and others. Remember they were the rule followers in the bible.

The older I get the more I understand why the greatest command is love. It is so central to all things good such as forgiving and accepting. God accepts that we won't be perfect until heaven and loves us anyway. I believe he wants us to try but not so much on our own effort.

If we love him and allow him to work in us, then it his effort, his work, not our human striving. If we cry out in faith, it is his strength. If we trust in all things, it is his doing. So why do we strive so hard on our own when we have a God who wants to be our everything?

Romans 3:23 (http://www.biblegateway.com)

New International Version (NIV)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,