Mirror Image

Mirrors are interesting things. Why did God create something that would show an image of oneself? Reflective surfaces are something we take for granted.... yet have you considered how much of a miracle they are?

I once heard a pastor say that everything is a sermon illustration...

Maybe that's why God created mirrors.

I was reading James 1 this weekend, and this verse caught my eye:

James 1:23-24 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Common enough verse... I've read it a dozen times, memorized it in elementary school, yeah, I got this.

Well, this week this verse took on a whole new meaning to me. 

Mirrors tend to be a bit bigger than one's face. This generally means that you can see more than just yourself... you can see what's behind you. 

If you were spend all the time you have dedicated to the mirror focusing on every single person behind you, you might not look your best. In fact your flaws may not have been improved in the least.  You walked away... not knowing what matter of man you are.

What I'm trying to get at, is I have a huge personal flaw. When I look at God's Word, instead of looking for imperfections I need to fix, I instead see the uglies of everyone else.

"If only _____ could see that verse"
"Well ______ needs to change that"
"______ would be under such conviction if they had the dedication to learning that I do"

As Lucile Ball would say:

Ewwwwww

Wow. Where does that pride come from? I'm gazing at the written word that communicates the essence of God, and all I can do is play god by matching the verse to it's obvious recipient (i.e. NOT ME).

So, you will probably never (not very often) hear me say this again. When you are studying your Bible on your own, this is the time to focus on yourself..... in the most non-self-focused way possible. One of the purposes of Bible study is to grow your relationship with God. We can use the mirror of the Scripture to see where our blemishes are, what sin is it that's keeping us from God. It's a time to examine ourselves.... and let One who knows us better then we do examine us (Psalm 139:23-24). God's Word demands a response. We have the ability for that response to be ignoring our ugliness, or our response can be to clean ourselves up.

Will my life reflect what the Holy Spirit has done in my heart?

Because of Him,
Missa