Try to Be Reasonable

Jesus Christ considered the matter of perfection to be so important that he told a large audience:  "You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:48) Did Jesus really expect us to be flawless in the present wicked system?  No. We certainly should strive to cultivate the qualities of generosity, kindness, and love toward our fellowmen, yet we often fail to do what is right.  Even one of Jesus' apostles wrote:  "If we confess out sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us from all unrighteousness.  If we make the statement:  'We have not sinned,' we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us." -1 John 1:9, 10.

Nevertheless, we can improve the way we view ourselves and treat others, avoiding extremes.  Who can find a better prescription for acquiring a balanced, reasonable personality than that found in God's Word, The Bible?  Cultivating such qualities as joy and moderation will help us in getting along with others at work, with out marriage mate, and with our parents or children.  The apostle Paul admonished Christians: "Always rejoice in the Lord.  Once more I will say, Rejoice! let your reasonableness become known to all men." -Philippians 4:4, 5.