Mirror, Mirror

“For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. For he sees himself and goes his way and forgets how he looked.” James 1:23, 24.
“If your whole body be full of darkness, how great is that darkness.” Luke 11:34
“Take heed how you hear.” Luke 8:18


I hate mirrors. I simply despise looking into them. Over the years, lipstick has successfully found its way onto my lips but I need not tell you that although I have trained myself to put on lipstick without a mirror I sometimes I miss my mark That’s when I end up with lipstick below my lower lips or with other clownish disasters. But messing up one’s lipstick is nothing compared to taking the wrong path in life.

The apostle James tells us that the Word of God is a mirror. When we look into it, we see ourselves, we see where we are situated, we see what God has given us –not the selves we think we are, not the selves the world thinks we are! Our real selves: the New Creations in Christ. But we often forget who and what we are.

The Word of God exhorts us to renew our minds. (Rom 12:2) We are warned that the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth. (John 8:40-46) But often we find ourselves looking to the world’s mirror to tell us who and what we are. The world overflows with opinions, but these opinions come from human reasoning and not from revelation. For example, many women think men will love them if they dress seductively and have a sassy attitude. But the Bible tells us that men often love women with kind hearts. They might be attracted to externals, and certainly a sense of humor isn’t bad, but it is a soft gentle heart that they truly love.

As we read our Bible, we begin to see that the World has it all wrong. The world says Money brings happiness. While it is true that living in poverty is painful and wounding to the spirit, it is not equally true to think that money alone brings happiness. But the Word of God tells us that true joy is found only in God who gives us the power to gain wealth and who uses our tithes, our acts of giving, in order to bless us. The world tell us that God helps those who helps themselves, but the Word of God tells us that while we are to work diligently, we are to remember that God provides our daily bread because He is a Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep. (1 Peter 5:7) Some superstitious Christians knock on wood, read their horoscopes, or visit psychics and mediums in order to see their future. But John tells us in his first epistle that we have conquered the evil one, and the Bible tells us to avoid mediums and fortunetellers. (Lev 19:21)

When Jesus warns us to take heed how we hear, and when He tells us that if our eyes are full of darkness, our whole body will be full of darkness, He is speaking the Truth. He came from above. He came from the True Reality. He knows the Truth. Our Lord Jesus told us that Words are alive, that what comes out of the body – unforgiveness, adultery, bitterness, envy– defiles the body,
and that life and death are in the power of the tongue. (Matt 15:11) The world tells us that words are powerless and that only germs, viruses and visible things can defile the body. Whom do we believe? We believe the one we have been listening to. Which light do we follow? We follow the light we trust.

The worst of the world’s errors is its depiction of God. Christians know that both the Father and the Son are alike. Jesus is loving and approachable, therefore God the Father is loving and approachable. When we accept the world’s views instead of the Bible’s revealed Truth, we a in danger of becoming double-minded. The Lord desires a pure people of pure faith, untainted and undefiled by the world. (Psalm 119:1) He urges us to love Him with all our minds, souls, and hearts. (Deut 6:5) The world often depicts God as A Celestial Bellhop, a Divine but extremely busy CEO, a benevolent tyrant, or even as non-existent being whom only weak people trust in. If we are not careful, these views affect our relationship to God who has proclaimed Himself to be our loving Father, Guide, Comforter, Caregiver, Healer, and Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. Christians then, should be careful how and what they receive the world’s theories.

In all things, we must ask ourselves...am I walking in the Truth? What mirror have I been looking into? Do I see my life, my work, my talents and my God as God sees them?

Prayer: Lord, let me understand your truth. Let my eyes, ears always focus on your truth. And let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always on Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.