Good morning everyone. I, once again, would like to thank you all for taking the time to
read these. It is my solemn prayer that you receive a blessing and a message from God
each time I send one of these out. I have just capped off one of the best weeks of my life.
I was able to spend a week with my wife on her “stay-cation”, I was able to spend a few
days getting to know my new daughter-in-law and granddaughter. I had the privilege of
officiating the wedding of my son and new daughter-in-law, (my first wedding ceremony)
and I was able to be in church. It has been a blessing I pray I never forget.
Today’s topic is something that runs through my mind a lot. Do you remember the old
carnivals and county fairs that use to have this room you could go in and you would see
all these different mirrors that would reflect you as shorter, taller, wider and so on? In
reality, none of the images were the real you. I also am reminded of the side mirrors I use
to have on my truck. There were these small round mirrors on the outside edge that had a
caption that read something like, “objects may be closer than they appear”.
With the above mentioned memories, I think about how we look in mirrors today. Some
people cannot pass up a chance to see themselves in a mirror. But, what are we really
seeing? All we see is the outside. If we don’t like what we see, we can shave, fix our hair,
put on make-up, we can change our clothes, brush our teeth and we try all these things to
make the outside look perfect. There is nothing wrong with trying to look your best, but
let’s see what God has to say on the issue.
Isaiah 64:6 says, “6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness’s are
like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us
away.” Philippians 3:9 says, “ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which
is from God by faith;” 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 says, “ 9 For we know in part and we
prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part
will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we
see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know
just as I also am known.” 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “7 But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not
look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him.
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart."
With the above scripture in mind, I wonder what we would see if we could look into a
spiritual mirror. I wonder how many of us would do our best to avoid mirrors altogether.
Can you imagine what your reflection might reveal if when you looked in the mirror all
you saw was you sin? Instead of working so hard on the outside, do you think we would
start doing a little more to work on the inside? The above scripture reminds us that our
very best in God’s eyes, is like “filthy rags”. Our righteousness is only found in the blood
of Christ. Our wisdom, understanding and knowledge is nothing compared to God’s and
we only see what is in our own little world. Man sees and judges others by there
appearance, but the “Lord looks at the heart”.
Looks, money, material possessions, wisdom, knowledge and most of everything else
will pass away someday, but God has always been, is now and will always be, and His
promises never fail. So, why do we do so much to improve the outside, when it is only
temporary and superficial, and neglect the inside which will have eternal consequences?
The next time you look in a mirror, try looking past the outside and take a good look on
the inside. Try to determine what things you can clean up and what will take God’s work
to clean up. In the long run, the work on the inside will make a much bigger impact on
your life and eternity that what we show on the outside.
Remember: The next time you look in the mirror to look past the pretty smile and see
what God sees, then see if you can keep that smile.
Until next time, please pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you.
Love in CHRIST,,,,,,,,,,,,,Brian
Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church
No comments:
Post a Comment