The Mirror of His Word

Most mornings I will join my husband for coffee at our local coffee shop.  We enjoy the smell of roasted coffee beans, the tinkling sound of the bell on the door as customers enter, and the homey décor. I love this wall of mirrors.  It occurred to me the other day that the Word is also like a mirror to us.  It reflects both the truth about God, as well as the truth about us.  I thought I’d switch things up for this post and put it in a Q&A format, and let the Scripture speak directly to your heart.

Is anyone good?

“As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”  (Romans 3:10-12)

What does the unsaved person think of the message of the cross?

“For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Why do the unsaved view the gospel as foolishness?

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

What happens when the veil is removed?

“But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  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.”  (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

The only way a mirror is effective is when the lights are on. 

What (Who) is the source of the Light?

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 4:6)

What should our response be when we behold God in the light of His Word and reflect on the truth?

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at this natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”  (James 1:23-25)

When we reflect on His truth and walk in obedience, we are promised three things.  We will:

·       Be transformed into His image (2 Cor. 3:18)

·       Bear much fruit (John 15:5)

·       Be blessed (James 1:25)

Behold

In addition to writing, I enjoy dabbling in photography.  I love to capture beauty, whether it is the shadow of a fern on a wooded path,

or the architecture of a cathedral. 

Photographs help me to remember a moment in time, like my daughter at her dance recital. 

Photography forces me to slow down and really observe my subject, such as the vibrant color and delicate curve of the petals on a flower.

The word “behold” appears well over one thousand times in the Bible.  As I’ve been studying the word blessed, I’ve come across this word several times, so I decided to stop and consider it for a moment.  In the Greek, "behold" means “to gaze with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable.”  Our culture moves at a frighteningly quick pace.  We are constantly bombarded with information, and our attention is often pulled in multiple directions as we scroll on our phones or drive to our next meeting.  To truly behold something, means that we must slow down and focus.  

Let me use photography to illustrate my point.  

We can see flowers,

or we can behold them 

Photography has taught me that in order to capture detail, I must be close to the subject.  If I am photographing a close-up of a flower, I am completely absorbed in the moment.  I am captivated by the vibrant colors and appreciate the intricate beauty of the stamen and the petals. The scent is pleasant and soothing. I adjust my focus within the frame and try to artfully capture the unique beauty I am observing. 

Scripture promises that when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.  (James 4:8)  When Jesus visited Mary and Martha, Martha was distracted and rushing around with her preparations, but Mary chose to sit at His feet and listen to His word...to behold her Savior.  The Lord told Martha in Luke 10:42, “but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  King David expressed in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” 

In order to know our Savior and learn from Him, we must slow down and take the time to observe and consider Him through the light of His word.  We must draw near and adjust our focus.  

There is great blessing to be found in beholding our Savior!

Poor in Spirit

To be “poor in spirit” is not a phrase we hear often.  In a culture that encourages and rewards self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-promotion, it seems like a bit of a mystery to think of a person who is poor in spirit as one who is blessed.  To be poor in spirit does not mean to be meek, shy or introverted.  It has nothing to do with finances.  It is not the act of covering a proud heart with false humility.  To be poor in spirit means that your spirit is humbled and utterly broken before the Lord.  It means both recognizing and acknowledging your total depravity in the presence of God.  Romans 3:10 says, “as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one.”

The root word for “poor” in the Greek is “ptochos” which means absolute, abject poverty.  The root word of “ptochos” is “ptosso” which means to crouch or cower.  This is not the kind of poverty where you eke by and are scraping along.  This is “begging poor,” the kind of poverty where you have no power or resources to help yourself in any capacity.  You are completely reliant on the grace and mercy of someone else for your very life.  While these definitions describe financial poverty, Jesus teaches that to be truly blessed, our spirits must be broken and humble before Him. 

As we begin to understand what He is requiring of us, we may wonder, “But if I’m that broken and humbled all the time, wouldn’t I be sad and depressed?  How can I be blessed in that state of mind?”  The reason why we struggle with this is because of the ongoing battle of the flesh in our minds and hearts.  The world insists that “if you work hard, you will get ahead,” “you don’t get something for nothing,” and “practice makes perfect.”  These messages are so ingrained in us that we forget that “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment,” (Isaiah 64:6) and that apart from Him we “can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The truth is, no matter how much we strive, apart from Jesus we will never attain the kind of perfection required to be in the presence of our holy God.  In our fallen nature, we are completely incapable of saving ourselves.  Spiritually speaking, we are “begging poor.”  When we truly wrap our heads around this truth and accept it and cry out, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner,”(Luke 18:13) we begin to understand the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and the grace offered to us if we simply accept His gift.  “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  Our sins, past, present, and future, have been covered by His blood.  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12) 

We are so undeserving of His love and grace, and yet He lavishes it upon us!  This is where we begin to experience joy and blessing.  We can draw on His promises.  

“But He gives a greater grace.  Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:6)  

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)  

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)  

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)  

“…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

I can think of no greater joy than to be reminded that while I was stuck in my sin and before I even acknowledged Him, Jesus died for me. By accepting His sacrifice on my behalf, I am considered righteous before God the Father.  All of my sins have been forgiven.  I can approach Him with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) and rest in His promises.

How truly blessed are the poor in spirit!