Thursday, August 19, 2010

The Mirror of Self

“And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

If you were a walking mirror, and on one side you looked in and the other side was the reflection, what would people see as you came towards them?  Would they see the world, sin, and self, or would they see Jesus?

It is the most commonly used mirror in our world today. It is the dreadful mirror of self. This mirror does two things;

It stares back with power; it is a close-up view that reflects our pores. You know those deep disgusting pores filled with black heads (black heads- are the beginning and root of sin. When they are not treated they surface leaving a big ole’ white head (I know that is disgusting but so is untreated sin.) 

And, it is a reflection of the world, self-pleasure, pride, selfishness, jealousy, bitterness, hate, gossip, death, demanding of our own way and anything else that is all about us and not about Christ or others.

The thing I hate the most about this mirror is how often I myself pick it up. All our mirrors upset Christ but this one can cost us our eternal life.

 Luke 9:23 says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." 

When we begin to act off of our feelings it is because we are holding the mirror of self.

When we become more worried about our appearance…mirror of self

When we become more concerned about our status with others…mirror of self

When we become money hungry…mirror of self.

When we focus on our needs before others…mirror of self.

When we do things that please our flesh…mirror of self.

When we do anything to bring attention to ourselves…mirror of self.

 Is the handle on this mirror worn? If so, then you have been using it to much.

Prayer: Jesus forgive us for using the mirror of self as much as we do. May we always see the cross and in this mirror and remember just how selfless You were. Amen