Argh . . . I’m no longer perfect.” I groaned inwardly. The realization struck me when we replaced our home television with a 42-inch set. The color was good, the sound perfect, but what happened to the subtitles? Why were they so blurry? I had lost my 20-20 vision! My doctor informed me that my left-eye vision is slightly off by a few degrees.

It dawned on me that when something is off the mark by a teeny-weeny bit, we usually let it slide. For it’s more convenient to simply leave it alone than to deal with it. This attitude, however, can be fatal when carried over to the way we deal with sin. Saul is a perfect example.

If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that Saul’s actions didn’t seem to be all that bad (1 Samuel 10:8, 13:9). On the surface, it appeared that Samuel was late, and that the survival of Saul and the nation was doubtful unless someone acted quickly (1 Samuel 13:8). Saul certainly seemed to be the man to do it.

Why was it so wrong for him to sacrifice a burnt offering? (1 Samuel 13:10-11). Saul had assumed a role that wasn’t his. He offered the sacrifice in direct disobedience to God (1 Samuel 13:13). Instead of waiting on God’s timing, he essentially infringed on the function of a priest (Leviticus 6:8-13).

This situation reveals a flaw in Saul’s perspective. His sight was not fully set on obeying God. Did he do anything about it? No. In 1 Samuel 15, we read of another battle and another act of disobedience. Once again, he used piety as a cover-up (1 Samuel 15:20). But Samuel, God’s spokesman, said, “Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, He has rejected you” (1 Samuel 15:26).

There’s no so such thing as being slightly imperfect in following God’s commands. Let’s pursue His holiness today.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 21:18-36