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Holding The Mirror of God Correctly
by Steve Countryman First let me say that although I try to do so correctly I'm still learning how to hold the mirror of God. It all started several years ago during a Bible study that my wife and I attended weekly at a friend's house. There have been little things revealed to me that I've slowly over time have been putting together. The image of us Christians holding a mirror is one that has stuck with me for some time and now I have a better understanding of it that it makes sense. A good example of what the mirror does is like the moon reflects the sun's light to the earth we as God's children are to reflect God's light to the world. For no one can stare directly at the sun and not be harmed by its brilliance. Yet you can stare at the moon and get a glimpse of how bright the sun's light is by the moon's reflection of it. First there are things that you need to understand about God's mirror. We receive this mirror by faith at the time of salvation. The mirror is designed for you to use by faith. It is a full-length mirror that starts from the tip of your head to the top of your feet and is wide enough to hide behind. The instructions are pretty simple just hold it so that God is reflected to all those who see you. So I ask myself how is it that something this simple can be so difficult at times to do? The answer is that we make it much more difficult than it has to be or should be. Some religions add conditions and traditions to the holding of the mirror. They tell you that only they know how it is done or that you have to earn the right to hold the mirror. Then of course Satan is there to tell you that you are not worthy or good enough to hold the mirror let alone try to aim it at others. Too often we make the holding of the mirror conditional. Like when we only bring out the mirror at church or when we are around our Christian friends. Or when we are doing a church event, dinner or seminar. And of course we drag it out when we need God's help or blessings in our lives. Even then we forget to wipe off the dust, mud and sludge of our sin and self-centered agendas all of which hinders the mirror's ability to reflect anything to anyone. Then we wonder why others don't see God in us? 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. It is through repentance that the dust, mud and sludge of sin is washed away and the mirror is clean to use. Living our daily lives is when the mirror is most visible to others. When we get caught up in the daily cares and troubles of our lives and we act like and live like the sinful world by complaining, bickering, blaming others, and holding grudges we are then aiming the mirror ourselves right at others and away from God. Now the view that others have when they look at us is one that reflects them so they don't see the hope and future that they would have if they saw Jesus reflected in us. God's mirror requires the user to fully trust God for the aiming and directing of the mirror. Because of the mirror's size you the holder cannot see over or around the mirror easily. If you do then the mirror won't be aimed correctly. The view that others are to have as they look at you is to see God in you through the mirror and the only thing of you that is visible is your hands holding the mirror and your feet. For the mirror allows them to see God in your daily life. To see God in your decisions, in your conversations, in your behavior, in your actions, in how you handle problems, in your mood swings, in your joy and in your frustrations. For them to see your face as you try to look over or around the mirror means that you are making yourself more visible or more important to others than God then the aim of the mirror is lost. It is letting and trusting God to aim the mirror, His way His will and not us thinking that we can do it better our way our will. For the life we live isn't our own or about us. It is about Jesus in us, with us, to us, for us and through us. We are God's witnesses and He is our testimony. 3/11 S. Countryman Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |