Friday, February 11, 2011
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So, did you look in the mirror today before you left the house? What did you think? It's amazing how much damage one night can do, isn't it? Probably when you went to the mirror today you combed something, or you brushed something, or you washed something, or you covered up something. Or if you had a full-length mirror, maybe you decided there's something you need to lose? Or maybe you needed to straighten something. What's the purpose of having a mirror in the first place? I suppose you could be like Fonzie when he looked in the mirror and went, "Whoaaa!" You know? And you really liked what you see. But I think for most of us, the reason we have a mirror is so we can see what needs changing. Did you know you own another mirror besides that one in the bathroom and in the bedroom? Oh, this mirror is made of paper, not glass. It's designed to be looked into, though. And you're supposed to change something when you see yourself.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Most Important Mirror in Your Life."
Our word for today from the Word of God - it's found in James chapter 1, verse 22. And here's what it says: "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. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does."
Kind of a neat analogy, isn't it? The Bible is called a mirror. You look into it and you decide what needs to be done. Now, most of us when we look in a mirror in the morning, we don't just say, "Oh, well, I give up. I can't do much about it." Come on, we comb it, we brush it, we change it, whatever. So the question seems to be to test your spiritual health, "What have you changed today because of something you saw in the Bible today?" You say, "Well, I read something. I know something because of what I read."
But see, the point of the Bible isn't just to know something. Any more than the point of looking in the mirror is just to see how you look. The point is, "What do I need to change?" See, in order to do that, you have to go looking for yourself in the Bible. And it makes so much difference in your study of the Bible if when you open it up each morning you say, "I am looking for my reflection here." God says He wants to show it to you. Then you apply what you're reading to some specific part of your life that you see. Whether it's your temper, or your patience, or your relationship with a neighbor, a member of your family, a way you're treating your children. Whatever it is, you make that application. Then you write it down. The Bible says that it's important not to forget what you saw or you won't make the changes. So you write it down.
I have found personally that keeping a spiritual diary helps me remember where I've read. I have years of those journals now, and I thank God for them. You work with Jesus on that specific combing, or brushing, or whatever it is during that day - the change that needs to be made.
This process on a daily basis begins to change once and for all your spiritual countenance. And it gets to be a really exciting spiritual adventure to get up in the morning and look in the mirror and see what God wants to work on next. That's the thrill! That's the adventure of following Christ.
So, don't start a day without a look in your spiritual mirror. And make whatever changes that are called for that day. I think you'll be amazed at how good you'll start to look.