And after you have suffered for a little, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (New American Standard)Isn't that a great promise? Perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish. Sounds great. the only part I don't like is that it comes after suffering. Aye, there's the rub.
Perfect, the verb: what does it mean? People tell me that the noun translated "perfect" means "mature" or "complete," not literally "perfect." But if that's true, why didn't the translators use "mature" or "complete" then? The King James has "perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
For God to perfect me, that sounds real good. Even if all you know about me is from these postings, you know I'm off track when it comes to priorities -- in too much of a hurry to get to the next thing. Where does it end? I do want God to perfect me. Even if just that one thing is changed, I'll be better able to enjoy the present moment, to really be here with my wife and children and friends and colleagues.
Confirm: so I won't be wondering what's next. That's part of my rush, wanting to see and know what's happening next, what comes next in my story. What am I really about, anyway?
Strengthen: I think the strength I really need is the strength to remember to lean on God.
And now I'm off to the next thing....
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