First off, thanks to all of you for such a great Bible study this evening. We had a great time of discussion (sorry if I talked too much, but I get really excited about this stuff :)) and you all had a lot of great questions and thoughts about tonight's topic. Here's a link to the video, in case you missed it: Why We Believe the Bible, Lesson 1 at DesiringGod.org
In closing, I just want to share a little of what's on my heart....
We live in a society that is constantly seeking...the next diet fad, the "in" spiritual belief system, etc. I have to think that there's a part of each of us that's noticeably empty without Christ and many times it's this same longing for wholeness that the Holy Spirit uses to draw people into a relationship with Christ, who is the only true filling for that hole. The deception that's at work is that this void can be filled by anything a person wants or desires...so many people spend their whole lives "trying to fit a square peg into a round hole" as the saying goes. Everything that is placed in that hole other than Christ leaves at least part of it still empty. The pursuit of wholeness that so many people are searching for IS the search for Christ, whether or not we believe/accept/acknowledge it or not.
As Christians, we have a duty to reflect Christ to those around us...not that we would be seen as holy, but that Christ would be seen as holy and us just a mirror. We have all been created for one ultimate purpose: to glorify God. To me, glorifying God means being a mirror that when people look into it, they see how amazing and wonderful God is. The question that I wrestle with each day is, "How clean am I keeping my mirror?" As we allow sin to be a part of our lives, the reflection of God's glory from our "mirror" is obscured...at first, maybe by just a few specks of dust that we barely notice, but soon specks become smudges and smudges become blotches and soon the reflection that people see is not God, but us. It's no wonder that the unbelieving world has such a hard time believing in Christ when the ones holding the mirrors are reflecting something other than God's glory.
Maybe you find yourself at a crossroads like I have recently, realizing that your walk with Christ will not improve itself...you can't just expect deeper intimacy with someone whom you don't take the time or make the priority to get to know. A piece of advice that was given to me about dating/marriage applies to this: Relationships take time. To enjoy the fruits of a deeper walk with Christ we must put in the time and have the discipline to make it a priority. This work is not so that Christ will love you more (his love is unconditionally perfect), but that we might love him more and express it as an act of worship.
So, here's the question for the week: How clean is your mirror?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment