Aim High

The Chelsea Flower Show is the most famous flower show in the United Kingdom
(perhaps in the world), attracting visitors from all continents.
There are four grades of award presented, Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver and Bronze. As
well as awards for gardens and flowers, the Knightian award is for exhibits of
vegetables.
I once heard a man being interviewed about the fact that he was retiring after
winning the gold medal for his vegetables for ten years in a row. Asked for the
secret of his success, he said, I aim for perfection. But I settle for excellence.
Aim for perfection (2 Corinthians 13:11), writes the apostle Paul. This is very
different from perfectionism. Perfectionism is trying to earn approval by
performance. It leads to a fear of failure and making mistakes. It can lead to
depression, anxiety and missed opportunities.
Gods people have always been called to aim high (while avoiding the dangers of
perfectionism). God gave to his people in the Old Testament a wonderful vision of
their potential inheritance. Jesus challenges us to live a life like his. The fact that
we are fallible human beings who never fully succeed should not stop us aiming
high.
Proverbs 8:22-31
1. Aim to be full of joy
Jesus wants you to be full of joy. He wants you to experience complete joy. He
said, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be
complete (John 15:11).
The description of personified Wisdom in todays passage is echoed in the way
the New Testament talks about Jesus. Jesus was with God in the beginning (John
1:2) (compare Proverbs 8:23,30).
Wisdom is seen to be full of joy: Day after day I was there, with my joyful
applause, always enjoying his company, delighted with the world of things and
creatures, happily celebrating the human family (Proverbs 8:30b31, MSG).

This joy is overflowing filled with delight (v.30). It is constant day after day
(v.30). Where does this joy come from?
First, it comes from Gods presence (in his presence, v.30). Second, it comes
from relationships with other people (the human family, v.31, MSG). Third, it
comes from Gods creation (world of things and creatures, v.31, MSG). God has
given us all good things richly to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).
The joy that Jesus experienced in his relationship with God the Father
strengthened him in his life on earth. Fix your eyes on Jesus who for the joy set
before him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:23). Jesus teaches us to aim high
with our own lives, never just making do but enduring hardships and always
seeking the joy of Gods presence.
Lord, thank you that you want your joy to be in me and my joy to be complete.
May I never settle for anything less.
Luke 9:10-27
2. Aim to be full of love
Jesus is the supreme example of love. Even the secular world often recognises
this. TIME Magazine said this: Jesus, the most persistent symbol of purity,
selflessness and love in the history of western humanity.
Jesus loves you. He cares about your physical needs. Rather than sending the
crowd away hungry to find food for themselves, he gets his disciples to feed them
miraculously.
We come back again to the feeding of the five thousand one of the few miracles
recorded in all four Gospels. We are reminded of how much Jesus can do with the
very little that we offer him, and of the fact that Jesus involves us in his miracles.
This is a huge privilege.
The disciples begin to understand who Jesus really is when he asks: Who do you
say I am? Peter answered, The Christ of God. (v.20). He begins to explain to
them about his death (the greatest act of love in history) and resurrection. He
challenges his disciples to aim high. He calls you to aim at three things, which
together comprise love for others and love for Jesus.

No sin
Sin is the opposite of love. In the middle of the word sin is the letter i. Jesus
says, Those who would come after me must deny themselves (v.23). God may
ask you to make different sacrifices in your life, but the only thing we are all
required to give up is sin.
Every day the challenge of love requires little acts of self-denial.
No self
Jesus says, Those who would come after me must... take up their cross daily and
follow me, for those who want to save their lives will lose them, but those who
lose their lives for me will save them (vv.2324).
Effectively, Jesus invites us to come... and die. The cross today is a symbol of
hope. However, then it was a symbol of pain, shame, disgrace and ultimately
death.
Jesus said that if we live lives of selfish ambition even if we are the most
successful person of all time and gain the whole world (v.25) it will do us no
good at all. The way to find life in all its fullness is to abandon your life to the love
of Jesus and of others. Take up your cross daily and follow him (v.23).
Being willing to give up your life is the ultimate act of love. This is the example
that Jesus set first. He calls us to follow his example: cleave steadfastly to me,
conform wholly to my example in living and, if need be, in dying (v.23, AMP).
No secrecy
Jesus says, All who are ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be
ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and
of the holy angels (v.26).
If you love Jesus dont be ashamed of him. Sometimes even taking his name on
our lips is a challenge. Dont be ashamed of his teaching (his words). If you want
Jesus to be proud of you, you must be proud of him. If you love people you will
want everyone to know about Jesus.
Speaking for myself, I know how often I fall short in these areas. But the fact that
our lives fall very far short of perfection should not stop us aiming high.
Lord, help me to aim high. Help me today to deny myself and take up my cross

and follow you. May I never be ashamed of you or your words but rather boldly
declare the good news of your death and resurrection for us.
Numbers 33:1-34:29
3. Aim to be full of the Spirit
This passage describes the inheritance that God assigned to his people (34:29).
Although they set out boldly (33:3), they had wandered around in the desert for
forty years (v.38). They never fully enjoyed their inheritance.
Paul, preaching in the book of Acts, explains that God gave the land to his people
as their inheritance (Acts 13:1720). He goes on, We tell you the good news:
What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising
up Jesus (vv.3233).
Gods promise to give his people the land of Canaan was always about more than
simply good real estate. It was a promise of flourishing, as Gods people enjoyed
relationship with God, under the security of Gods protection, in Gods promised
place. This points forward to the New Testament concept of the kingdom of God,
the sphere of Gods presence and rule. It is this that is fulfilled in Jesus, and that
you can begin to experience now.
In Christ, our inheritance is the promised eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). It
is an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you (1
Peter 1:4).
Not only do we have this inheritance to look forward to in the future but we can
experience something of this inheritance right now: Having believed, you were
marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephesians 1:1314).
The Greek word for deposit (arabone) is a word that means down payment. In
other words, you experience here and now a foretaste of that inheritance through
the Holy Spirit. As you live in the Spirit, your life will be changed to produce the
fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Dont settle for second best, aim for perfection.
Lord, help us in the Spirit to be ruthless with sin so that we do not allow anything
to become barbs in [our] eyes and thorns in [our] sides (Numbers 33:55). Help

me never to settle for second best but to aim high comforted and changed by
your Holy Spirit.
Pippa Adds
Numbers 33:648
The Israelites were constantly on the move. I am taking this passage totally out
of context, but it makes me think of Focus, our camping church holiday. The good
thing is that once we arrive at Camber Sands in July and have pitched our tent or
found our chalet; we dont have to move on immediately. Take possession of the
land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess (v.53) [only for 6
days]. Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a
larger inheritance [2-bedroom chalets], to a smaller group a smaller one [1bedroom chalets] (v.54). If the people of God could live in tents for forty years I
should be able to manage a week. It is going to be AMAZING, no grumbling
allowed!