What’s in the Mirror?
After one of Pete’s Marriage Builder classes, one husband asked Pete for a private meeting. His wife had left him a note that said, “if you want to save this marriage, then go see Pete.” Pete said, “Do you want to save this marriage? Will you do whatever it takes?” The man’s response was, “probably not.” It’s difficult for men to surrender to anything. God will limit himself to what we decide to do with our lives. Are we living for ourselves or for him? This answer to this question is the subject of James chapter 1. James 1:22-25 says: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
God wants to bless his people. However, the blessings of God are conditional upon following in our Lord’s pathway according to His word and not our own. Psalm 134:4 says “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Sometimes God’s command is, “Ask me for my blessings.” It’s often difficult for men to ask God for his blessings. The answer to this prayer for God’s blessing may be that we must endure trials and tribulations. The greatest blessings are blessings in disguise. According to Romans 5, tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
When we look at the Word of God, it’s like looking into the mirror. Men often avoid looking into the mirror. The mirror reveals our flaws. It shows us how short the glory of God we have fallen. God did not give us his word to make us smarter, he gave us his word to change our lives. The Word of God transforms lives. The exhortation is to “order my steps according to thy word.” When God gives us his revelation, he expects us to obey. He doesn’t ask for consent, rather, he commands obedience. The Holy Spirit will guide us in the way we should go when we meditate upon His word. Our heart’s desire must be, “I want your will above all things.” The answer to this prayer will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death. It will show us that God is the source of our sufficiency…that we cannot live life without his power. Our job is to live according to his strength and not our own.
James says, “Faith without works is dead.” God gives us opportunities to serve, to give, to turn the other cheek, and to go the second mile. If we disobey God’s will, the devil will say, “don’t ask forgiveness. Think about your own self.” He will condemn us when we don’t do the will of God and yet he will discourage us from confessing our sins. However, God made a way to return our hearts back to Him: for when we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When the devil attacks us with deceptions and accusations, God gave us spiritual armor to withstand against the evil one in the evil day. Ephesians 6 says to put on the whole armor of God for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Therefore have your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Take up the helmet of salvation, gird your loins with truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness and take up the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Take hold of the sword of the spirit which is the Word of truth.
God has given each of his children abilities to serve according to his will. The mirror will reveal our hearts. As David said, in Psalm 51, “search my Heart O God. Try me and prove if there is any evil thing in me. Cleanse my heart and keep me from all unrighteousness.” Unless we turn to God through his word, our decisions will be fear based. However, by turning our hearts to the Lord we will make faith based and not fear based decisions.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life learning go become just like Jesus? If this is your prayer, God will answer. Therefore, humble my heart O Lord. Search me, know me, and try me. Calm my anxious heart. As God said to Jacob in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
When we look into the mirror of the word what will it reveal? According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory (of the flesh) to glory (of the Lord,) even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
When we do God’s will he may not reveal the why’s and the wherefore’s of life. All he asks is obedience to his Word. We may not understand the end from the beginning…but He does. God says my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts and my ways than your ways. God requires extreme obedience with no questioning or complaining on our part and no explanation on His. We will learn by following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “if ye continue in my word, then shall you be my disciples in deed. And ye shall know (by experience) the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael