Here at the mirror decisions must be made ... brush my hair, brush my teeth, wash my face, remove the unsightly blemish??? OR I can just walk away, forget what I saw and let the chips of life's critics fall where they may. The inevitable will happen ... I will be blindsided. James 1:22-24 - "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."
There is no blessing in bearing "the reproach" from something that I could have but didn't personally change because I decided that it was not up to me to make the change.
I "face planted" into the book even though I didn't realize I had. Fatigue that had carried me into the dreamy world of "winkin', blinkin' and nod" confirmed that I only owned the potential to look into the book on this side of the writing. Did you ever find yourself facing words that you did not want to hear? I actually wondered if there may be a way to melt in a pulp like fashion and fuse my way into the very paper of The Book. This would place me inside the paper, away from the vantage point of having to respond to the words, for The Words of The Book are alive and will cause a response: Nehemiah 8:5 -"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:"
Here at The Book, decisions must be made ... open my ears, open my heart, removal of an unsightly blemish??? OR I can just walk away, forget what I heard, and let The Words of the Judge, the Redeemer of the Universe, fall where they may. The inevitable will happen ... I will be blindsided. James 1:22-24 - "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."
There is no blessing in bearing "the reproach" of something that I can trust (but didn't ) to have changed, because I decided that it was not up to me to listen and trust for change.
Just because you believe real loud or shout real loud ... that "the mirror and The Book will not control your life", does not negate the consequences of patriarchal and providential truth. Rebellion against truth always puts an individual in the cross hairs of Enemy's "whispered-lie-filled" blessings but also puts one at risk of bearing the built in consequences of violating protective Truth. Genesis 2:16-17 - "And the LORD God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." And it happened in the Garden, and the effects still reverbrate throughout mankind.
The mirror will visually reveal the need for external change ... which will alleviate embarrassing visual social situations. The Book will reveal the need for a NEW Heart and a Renewed Spirit through Jesus Christ ... Who will deliver us from eternal shame. As we heed His Word, we will begin to exchange our stubborn, life robbing attitudes for the glory of His Life Giving Image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
"The looked into the mirror" - I washed my face, I brushed my hair, I brushed my teeth and took care of an unsightly blemish. "The looked intently into Book" - I bowed my heart, I renewed my spirit, and trusted all my coddled soul blemishes to The Author's Loving care.
1 Corinthians 13:12 - "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
HLFA,
Jeff