Ever have one of those days when you'd like to break every mirror in your house? If it weren't for the whole 7 years of bad luck thing, I think today would have been that day for me.
The question I'm left asking myself is this: "Which mirror am I using to see myself clearly?" When God's truth is revealed we are to act on it. Grab it and don't let go. We spend WAY too much time trying to frantically arrange the pieces of our puzzle (aka LIFE) to make it all fit nicely when thankfully God comes on the scene... and you know what happens? He shows us that we've only been putting together just a tiny portion of the whole picture. In fact, He may even take our neat little puzzle and flip it onto the floor and start over from scratch because we were limiting His gift of power in us! Can I get an amen?! That's exactly what we experienced over the last few years, and now it is with great assurance (and completely by God's grace) that I can say I'm glad He did it.
These couple verses contain a promise- that if we stick with it ("it" being obeying Christ) then we "will find delight and affirmation in the action." Wow. How many decisions that I've made on my own can I claim gave me 100% delight and affirmation? Maybe for a short time, yes. Kinda like sporting your fanciest duds, taking a glance in the mirror and thinking to yourself, "Man, I sure do look good!" Only once you get outside you realize it's 5,000 degrees and you're wearing a turtleneck and corduroy pants. All that effort for nothing. But who wears turtlenecks and corduroy pants anymore? Wow, that analogy went south in a hurry. But you get the point.
I've resolved to start spending more time looking in God's mirror for a true depiction of who I am. That will leave me both encouraged and challenged to keep on doin' what the Lord asks of me. That and... maybe I'll trade in my bathroom mirror for one of those kind they put in dressing rooms of expensive clothing stores- you know what I'm talking about- the kind that make you look skinnier than you really are. Hehe.
Later this evening my thoughts drifted to a passage in James that has always held huge personal meaning for me. I did a Bible study on James earlier this year with a great group of young ladies back in Florida at my previous home church. The leader lovingly called James' writing style "Christianity in blue jeans." James is currently one of my favorite books in the New Testament because of his straight-to-the-point message. If you don't like what James is writing that's good... because it means you're probably about to move from conviction to repentance. At least that's been the case for me time and time again.
So here is the particular passage about spending too much (or not enough in this case) time looking in the "mirror:"
So if I hear (comprehend, believe, absorb) the Word of God BUT fail to act (obey, submit, deny oneself) then I'm like a well... let's face it... James is calling me an idiot. Hah! That's pretty straight-forward wouldn't you say?
The question I'm left asking myself is this: "Which mirror am I using to see myself clearly?" When God's truth is revealed we are to act on it. Grab it and don't let go. We spend WAY too much time trying to frantically arrange the pieces of our puzzle (aka LIFE) to make it all fit nicely when thankfully God comes on the scene... and you know what happens? He shows us that we've only been putting together just a tiny portion of the whole picture. In fact, He may even take our neat little puzzle and flip it onto the floor and start over from scratch because we were limiting His gift of power in us! Can I get an amen?! That's exactly what we experienced over the last few years, and now it is with great assurance (and completely by God's grace) that I can say I'm glad He did it.
These couple verses contain a promise- that if we stick with it ("it" being obeying Christ) then we "will find delight and affirmation in the action." Wow. How many decisions that I've made on my own can I claim gave me 100% delight and affirmation? Maybe for a short time, yes. Kinda like sporting your fanciest duds, taking a glance in the mirror and thinking to yourself, "Man, I sure do look good!" Only once you get outside you realize it's 5,000 degrees and you're wearing a turtleneck and corduroy pants. All that effort for nothing. But who wears turtlenecks and corduroy pants anymore? Wow, that analogy went south in a hurry. But you get the point.
I've resolved to start spending more time looking in God's mirror for a true depiction of who I am. That will leave me both encouraged and challenged to keep on doin' what the Lord asks of me. That and... maybe I'll trade in my bathroom mirror for one of those kind they put in dressing rooms of expensive clothing stores- you know what I'm talking about- the kind that make you look skinnier than you really are. Hehe.
