A look in the mirror
- Darrell Powell
Our society is addicted to "reality." I guess it started a good while back with crime shows like Cops and Real TV. Then, we made the switch to relationship shows like The Bachelor(ette). It seems that nothing is too sacred or outlandish for people to turn into a reality show. There is even one now that consists of two families swapping mothers/wives for two weeks (if this isn't evidence that our nation's family values are out of whack, I don’t know what is).
The lure of these shows is the fascination we have with seeing "real" people in "real" situations… seeing who they REALLY are! Yeah right! With cameras in their face and the world watching, how real do you think these people are being? Reality or not, the key word is "show." Do we ever put on a show for others? What is the truth about who you are? What if everyone you know was able to look in your mirror and see exactly what you see… who you really are (James 1:23-25)?
How would your friends react? Would your Christian friends be shocked at the person you are in secret? Would your non-Christian friends be shocked to find that you are a Christian at all? Are you the kind of person who "observes himself, (in the mirror), goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was?" (1:24).
Most importantly, what do you see when you look in the mirror of truth? Perhaps you yourself are fooled into seeing something that's not true (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). This is especially dangerous when it relates to eternal salvation. The devil says, "Everyone's ok," and "God doesn't mean what he says." But God will keep His promises, including, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
The REAL you peeks out when no one is looking (Mama always said). And the REAL you is determined by your actions… not by your intentions. Make your reality pleasing to God by obeying His will.
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LOOKING IN THE MIRROR
Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, "surely I can't look that old?" I love this story below that has been widely circulated:
I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 37 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?
Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm..., or could he?
After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.
"Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Mustang," he gleamed with pride.
"When did you graduate?" I asked.
He answered, "In 1967. Why do you ask?"
"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.
He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, wrinkled old man asked, "What did you teach?"
It's so easy, isn't it, to see the faults in someone else? We see their wrinkles. We see their gray hair. Even more than that, we see all the "specks" in their eyes (Matthew 7:3). But we are not so quick to notice those flaws in ourselves.
When I was young, I was determined to change the world and make it a better place. As I grew older, I realized that was an unrealistic goal and re-committed myself to changing the people around me. I've gotten a little bit older (and grayer). I still want to try to influence people around me, but I have learned that, ultimately, the only person I can change is me, and there is plenty that still needs to be changed.
James compares reading the Word of God with looking in a mirror:
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)
May we truly view the Word of God, not as a microscope to examine the lives of others, but as a mirror to search into our own hearts and lives.
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3 Ways to Revive Your Lukewarm Faith
Here are three ways that I recommend to revive a lukewarm faith. Which ones would you suggest?
Witnessing to the Lost
If you want to turn a tepid faith to boiling hot, start witnessing to the lost. What this does is give you a good memory bank of Bible verses because you’re going to need them: verses that talk about the eventual fate of all who refuse to repent and trust in Christ (Rev 20:12-15), why we need the Savior (John 3:18b, 36b), what Christ’s death on the cross can do (2 Cor 5:21), and every one of us having an appointment with death and then the judgment (Heb 9:27). Witnessing to the lost is a scary thing, yes, but it is one of the most rewarding things that a Christian can do. There is such indescribable joy and peace after you have shared the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it forces you to memorize scriptures that show people why they need Christ (Rom 3:10-11, 23; 6:23).
Start a Ministry
A few years ago, I jumped into a nursing home ministry with cold feet and started a Bible study. I had no clue what I was doing. I was apprehensive because I didn’t know anyone, nor did anyone know me, but after a few weeks, the residents, their families, and the staff began to look forward to my visits, and I found out that next to witnessing, there is no greater joy than to visit with these seniors, who are very lonely and just want someone to talk to. And guess what? “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). There are two things worth mentioning here. This is one thing that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless religion. Also, how many in a nursing home are orphans and widows? Almost every one of them! That will fire up your faith, I guarantee it!
Take a Risk for the Kingdom
In many ways, a faith that has never been tested can never be trusted, so if you ever get an idea about doing something radical for the kingdom, do it. I would put it this way: Never suppress an urge to be generous. I heard one pastor who was in a grocery line watching a woman with two children and no wedding ring. This poor woman was counting out her change to see if she had enough to pay for her groceries. It appeared that it was going to be close, so the pastor had an urge, or perhaps a Spirit-induced impulse, to just pay for the woman’s grocery bill. This woman saw what he did, started crying, and thanked him. The pastor never said who he was but only said that “God has been good to me, and He seemed to be telling me to help you, so I did.” Interestingly, a few weeks later the woman happened to show up at his church, and she recognized him. That woman later came to a saving faith in Christ. Being a single mother might be the hardest job on earth, so if you get an urge or impulse to be generous to a single mother, or anyone for that matter, do it–take a risk. God will not forget your generosity.
Conclusion
Do you really want Jesus to feel like He wants to spew you out of His mouth because your faith is so lukewarm that it’s disgusting to Him (Rev 3:16)? Think that’s not serious? The Greek word for spew is “emeō,” which literally means “to vomit” or “throw up.” That’s how sick our lukewarm faith can make Jesus feel–so sick to His stomach that He vomits us out. Gross, I know, but that is the original language it is written in, so fire up your faith, witness to the lost, minister to the lonely, take a risk, and help someone who needs it. You’ll revive that lukewarm faith into a boil.
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jack Wellman