Why Look In The Mirror?

What are we doing from day to day, even moment to moment, to train ourselves to hear and respond to the voice of God?  Are we challenging ourselves to do things like pray and read and study and reflect on the word of God? If we choose to follow this discipline, regardless of how we feel, we will discover surprising truths about how God says life works.  We will discover that life is dramatically different from what we have practiced or what we experience around us in everyday society.  Our choice is, will we surrender to this new way of living as the healthy way or thoughtlessly fall back into old habits?  A daily inventory of our life, before God, helps us see how we are growing in putting God’s way of life into practice.  Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. (Hebrews 5:14 NLT)

Suppose we looked in a mirror and found we had something smeared around our mouth.  We’d be pretty dumb if we didn't immediately wash our face and clear up the problem. In the same way, we need to routinely look at ourselves in a spiritual mirror. When we notice something is wrong, we can immediately, with God’s help, make the proper adjustments.  But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. (James 1:22-24 NLT)

If we put off taking care of a problem that we are aware of, it will not go away just because we avoid dealing with it. The dirt on our face, which the mirror revealed, will not go away until we remove it by washing our face.  The same applies to a problem that could lead to trouble and pain. It needs to be corrected when we become aware of it.  We may hear God’s encouraging word or His challenge regarding an issue.  We might realize we need to receive healing or need to repent.  If we take inventory according to God’s heart and God’s truth, and take the appropriate action to clear the problem, we will move forward in our recovery.

Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring. (Hosea 6:3 NLT)

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