Mirror Mirror
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most righteous of them all?
You have seen you, but you refuse to see who you are. As long as you stare into the mirror and redefine how you look based on what you see your changes are temporary and surface level at best.
The HIGH standards you have impress many but has little impact. They admire your accomplishments for you, but have a very hard time transferring the great practical skills for themselves. Why? Because when you speak about your accomplishments and “blessings”, God is mentioned only as a benefactor. (YOU did the work, right?) You rarely thank Him in private for the many great things he has blessed you with. You know, those things that you come to expect in life and from people. You know those things that make you upset when you don’t get them or have them. You know…
You look down on those who have made wrong decisions based on their life struggles to survive and be content. You continue to judge those who might not of started off with the best decisions and then (by the GRACE of God) made a conscious decision to walk the walk of Jesus. Yet, their spiritual vernacular doesn’t meet your standard of “holy talk.” You speak to them, but refuse to speak with them. You might even consider mentoring them, praying for them and even throwing them a few encouraging words so that they can become the best them… Never as good as you… of course. When they ask for your advice you try to fix their symptoms without understanding their cause.
Then something happens that shakes your foundation. Everything that you thought was stable and truth begins to shift. I mean you really never examined yourself, because you always looked good. You missed the point that the core of who you are never really believed in Christ, just His principles. You begin to believe that because you are “going through” that you deserve a little grace for your “little sins”. I mean you’ve been good for so long. So you push and push and push until your mind is turned over to a reprobate mind.
As always you find your way back to desiring the presence of God. Oh you feel so good, safe, and confirmed again. You are free to be everything God has called you to be. Oh yes He showed you grace.
Now this whole scenario is not conscious decisions that we make. Life happens that pushes us into the mind frame of thinking. The world gives us permission to “slightly” judge those who did not take advantage of opportunities or right choices. We have to understand that grace is not a curriculum. We can’t earn grace by good choices and thinking highly of our righteous acts. Grace is a gift from God that should be extended to the least of these. Message!!!!!! you are the least of these. None of us deserve God’s grace.
My hope, in writing this, is that as you (I) begin to look at yourself (myself) from this day forward, that you (I) seek to find the Lord in you (me). To have compassion on those who are starting on their journey, who are slow on their journey, or those who have not decided to take the journey yet.
When people see you....when you allow them to get close enough to see you, that you show the compassion that resembles the love of God. When people see you love, give, speak and LIVE they should see you resembling the beauty of God. Start going to God to see how you really look. Oh yes it is a heart issue.
Romans 2English Standard Version (ESV)
2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2The Message (MSG)
2 1-2 Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done.
3-4 You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.
1 Samuel 16:7New International Version (NIV)
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Prayer:
Dear Wonderful God,
Thank you for your grace. Thank you for extending to me a gift that I did not deserve. I really do want to be right in your sight. My goal today is to please you with my acts. Forgive me of the times I have failed to see what I look like in Christ, because I focused on how I look to other people. You have been so kind to me and I am grateful. Lord, I choose to use more love and faith instead of just laws when I witness to others about you. I choose today to show compassion to those who have decided to turn to you regardless of their past, vocabulary, ethnicity, class, educational level, mistakes and age. Help me, Father, where and when I fall short in this area. I thank you Lord for your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen
