Do You Reflect God's Character?

"People who matter, are most aware that everyone else does, too!"  -Malcolm S. Forbes, The sayings of Chairman Malcolm.

Mirrors are pretty honest aren't they? They don’t bargain with us. They don’t gloss over our defects and tell us we’re better-looking than we really are. They show us every flaw we have. In fact, the better the mirror, the more flaws we see. Believe me. I've scared myself on more than one dreary-eyed morning!

Have you ever wondered why we have mirrors in our bathrooms? No, it's not someone's cruel joke on us. I personally think that, because as unpleasant as it may be to confront our own faces first thing in the morning; if we don’t take a look at ourselves, and make some major adjustments, the rest of the world is going to see that morning face!

As difficult, or uncomfortable, as it might be, it’s better to “face” the truth, so we can make the changes we think are necessary in order to make ourselves presentable to the rest of the world. At least, that's the case with me! Are you pretending to be something, or someone, you’re not? Or, have you been deceiving yourself for so long that you actually believe that you’re something else? Who are you really? What do you see when you look into the mirror?

Now, if you look in a mirror, you can see yourself and what you look like. Right? But, if a mirror is going to work properly, it must be a proper mirror. Have you ever been to a funhouse at a carnival that had distorted mirrors (i.e., the infamous House of Mirrors)? They don’t really show us how we are, do they?

Similarly, when we read the Bible, or hear a sermon, we’re supposed to see ourselves in it. Many times, we’ll hear a sermon and think “Man, I wish so-and-so could hear this! They really need it.” But the funny thing is, God in His power didn't see fit to make sure so-and-so was there, but you were. So, maybe the message wasn't really for so-and-so. Maybe it was for you!

Without a doubt, one of the most important reasons we're supposed to read, study, and understand the Scriptures is to see all of our flaws, standing right there front, and center in the bright, light of day. Honestly, if we don’t know they’re there, how will we ever get rid of them?

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.  -Steve Jobs

Ask yourself this question the next time you're staring at your reflection: "What do I really look like?" James 1:21-24 has some pretty good advice for us, "So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says, is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

How can somebody look in the mirror and see themselves, then walk away and forget what they look like? There are two possible reasons that this can happen. 1) You don’t believe the mirror is an accurate reflection of who you are. You don’t trust the mirror. 2) You realize that sometimes you do have a problem to fix. This one (number 2) can be the most difficult of the two to accept.

Do you trust the mirror? Or do you walk away from it thinking you’re not worthy? Do you look at the Word that says you can do all things through Christ and then walk away thinking that you could never be good enough? The foolishness of our human nature is that even though we know where the answers lie (in God’s Word) we don’t turn there because we're afraid of what it will say.

E. W. Kenyon says “The reason that the majority of Christians are weak, though they are earnest, yet they are weak, is because they have never dared to make a bold confession of what they are in Christ.”

In closing, the apostle James described God’s Word as a mirror in which we can see ourselves reflected (1:23-24). It shows us that although we were created to reflect God’s character, in our fallen condition we are spiritually ugly and marred by sin. But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are spiritually reborn (John 3:3-8). Then, as we look into God’s Word, we see ourselves as God sees us—our ugliness has been transformed into the beauty of Christ’s likeness. And we grow in His likeness from that point on!

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:3; 1 John 3:1; Philippians 4:13; Romans 12:16;  Luke 12:15   

Prayer: Dear Father, you are merciful and kind. Help me find it in my heart to be mericful and kind to others as you have been with me. Amen

God loves you!

Holly