I dare say from the first time that man/woman saw their own reflection in the still of the waters they have been intrigued with who was looking back at them. Over the centuries that intrigue has moved from the reflective properties of water to the creation of mirrors and now the instant gratification of digital photography. All it takes is looking at any young persons Face Book page and you will see a myriad of self portraits from the beautiful to the utterly ridiculous. 
As a Christian we have been given a tool that has reflective properties. It is called the Bible, the Word of God. The amazing thing about the Word of God is that it doesn’t just give us a picture of who we are on the outside but reveals things about us in our inner man. It shows us an image that has not been manipulated. God’s Word is more advanced than any invention that man has ever created for it shows us what we are, what we can be and who we will be!! Now that’s just mind boggling!! (I think that is a whole study in and of it self … hmmm) In the here and now we will be looking at who we are.
As we study God’s Word it will begin to reflect our true selves. We will see our selves in God’s light. Heb 4:12, “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” (NLT) As a mirror shows us our blemishes and imperfections, so God’s Word shows us our sin and what needs to be cleansed out of our hearts.In James 1:23-25 it says: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.
James warns us that there is a danger in looking into the mirror of God’s Word, letting it show us what is wrong and then walking away and do nothing about it. If God reveals a weakness or sin and we don’t allow him to fully cleanse and cut it out we can go on with life and forget what it is that God wanted to do in us. We can live deceived believing that we are right with God. But if we look into his Word and allow it to do its convicting work … if we continually surrender our will to his will … we will experience freedom.
For each individual that freedom might have a different face to it but it will be reflected in how we love God and love others. It will be as if a veil has been removed from our faces and we can clearly see! “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. Now, the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom. And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”
Father … Make Me OVER!! May we stand before the mirror of God’s Word until all that is not holy is removed and we are free to reflect his Glory to others.
On the next stop on our journey we will look at how the Word encourages us.
