The Word of God is our mirror. It reveals to us what we are--how God
sees us. Our response to that image will reveal if we are merely
hearers of the Word or doers of the Word. Whether we are hearers or
doers determines the depth of our relationship with Him and undeniably
affects the power of our testimony and ministry to others. Spiritually,
"well done" is always better than "well said."
If we are honest as we look into the Word, we become aware of our sins, our weaknesses, and our failures. God does not show us those things so that we will feel sorry for ourselves, go off into the corner and pout, or throw up our hands in despair. He shows us these things through His Word so that we might come to Him for the power needed to change those things through the inner working of His Spirit. We become aware of the responsibilities God has placed in our lives and the need to allow His transforming power to do its work.
When we look into the Word, we are faced, then, with making spiritual choices, for the difference between a hearer and a doer is not knowledge nor is it simply action, but it's the right action. An action that must be founded on submission to Him. One Christian looks into the mirror, sees himself as he is in God's eyes, and walks away indifferent, calloused, out of step with His Savior, incapable of following Him--the true mark of a disciple. Another Christian looks, and as the Spirit shows him what God wants him to become, humbles himself, and prays for God's enabling grace to continue the sanctifying process in his life. He is washed clean daily by his look into God's transforming truth.
And it must be a daily look. Can you imagine what we would look like if we didn't use a mirror for a week? For a month? Even for a day? The same is true spiritually. We must look carefully, honestly, and humbly each day and then act upon that true picture revealed to us by the Spirit. We must act in the liberty God has given us to do all that He has called us to do and all that He has called us to become. If we look and go our way unchanged, we will soon be spiritually unkempt. We are either reflecting the beauty of Jesus or our own. And which do you think will make a difference in this fallen world of ours?
If we are honest as we look into the Word, we become aware of our sins, our weaknesses, and our failures. God does not show us those things so that we will feel sorry for ourselves, go off into the corner and pout, or throw up our hands in despair. He shows us these things through His Word so that we might come to Him for the power needed to change those things through the inner working of His Spirit. We become aware of the responsibilities God has placed in our lives and the need to allow His transforming power to do its work.
When we look into the Word, we are faced, then, with making spiritual choices, for the difference between a hearer and a doer is not knowledge nor is it simply action, but it's the right action. An action that must be founded on submission to Him. One Christian looks into the mirror, sees himself as he is in God's eyes, and walks away indifferent, calloused, out of step with His Savior, incapable of following Him--the true mark of a disciple. Another Christian looks, and as the Spirit shows him what God wants him to become, humbles himself, and prays for God's enabling grace to continue the sanctifying process in his life. He is washed clean daily by his look into God's transforming truth.
And it must be a daily look. Can you imagine what we would look like if we didn't use a mirror for a week? For a month? Even for a day? The same is true spiritually. We must look carefully, honestly, and humbly each day and then act upon that true picture revealed to us by the Spirit. We must act in the liberty God has given us to do all that He has called us to do and all that He has called us to become. If we look and go our way unchanged, we will soon be spiritually unkempt. We are either reflecting the beauty of Jesus or our own. And which do you think will make a difference in this fallen world of ours?
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