Mirrors are optional in the mind of boys.
Having to be told to go and comb your hair or to go and discover the extent of the dirt on your face were jobs that required orders from your mother. Our church camp didn’t have mirrors in the men’s shower block for a couple of years and no one seemed to care enough to comment.
James holds up the mirror as a prop to make his point (Jm.1:23-25). His point being that a man who has a quick look in the Bible is like the man who has a quick look in the mirror—he doesn’t even take enough notice to remember what he saw.
I bought a magnified mirror once. The effect was such that it immediately made its way into the next box destined for the op-shop. The same impact is made upon the man who looks intently into the Bible but realises that the ‘perfect law of liberty’ exposes deep cracks in his definition of religion. Proof of true liberation of the soul from the grips of Satan is seen in deeds done to liberate the orphan and widow from the grips of poverty and misery. Otherwise, it is all just talk!
Seeing a clear reflection of ourselves is essential to strengthening our faith. The world will hold up all manner of images reflecting today’s standard of success. Their goal is to persuade you to see yourself as being happy when owning the product they are trying to sell you.The apostle Paul speaks of the Gospel as a mirror reflecting the glory of God.
When the Christian beholds its brilliance, it transforms him into its likeness:
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2Cor.3:18).
So, the next time you look in a mirror, don’t be surprised to see Jesus looking back at you.
John Staiger
Please feel free to Share (373)
0 Comments