God knows we can never be perfect, but He refuses to force us to be perfect, or to take away all our struggles against temptation. He wants us to choose Him of our own free will. More than that, our imperfections are what allow His power to be demonstrated. Because of our sin, God crafted the most amazing, beautiful, heart-wrenching story every told. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins in our place, so that we may live forever with Him in heaven, praising Him with new songs for eternity.
So do not worry about your inability to be perfect. Just our striving to be perfect and to follow God’s will honors Him, and demonstrates our love for Him. Multiple passages in the Bible imply that we show our love for and commitment to God by doing what He has told us to do. No matter what our mistakes have been in the past.
Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ strongest disciples, failed quite a bit. He seems to have been impulsive, dramatic, and often acted before he thought. His worst moment may have been the night Jesus was arrested. Instead of standing up for his Lord, he pretended like he didn’t even know Jesus. How painfully this failure must have weighed on him, throughout the crucifixion, the few days afterwards, and even once Jesus rose again!
Peter may have repented, and regretted his actions, but don’t we always feel like there is something more we need to do to atone for our sins? Don’t we tend to feel that we will always have a black spot on our souls? How do we keep moving forward after such a setback? Jesus told Peter something very simple: just continue doing what He had told him to do. For Peter, that was to take care of His followers. For all of us, the whole of the law comes down to two things: love God with all your being, and love others as yourself. When we mess up, keep pursuing discipline and improvement, and just keep loving.
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21:15-17