11/2/05

Encouragement for Today

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”

Charlene Kidd, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member

Key Verse:

Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (KJV)

Devotion:

For as long as I can remember, there was a huge mirror that hung above my grandmother’s couch. All of the grandchildren would jump on the couch and make funny faces in it. When my grandmother died I inherited the mirror. It was hung in my family room and I enjoyed seeing my children jump around and make funny faces in it.

We recently moved into a new home. I carefully picked the location for the mirror to be placed. I hung it on the wall and reached out to adjust it, when it came crashing down the wall and shattered. I checked the screws in the wall thinking surely I missed a stud, but they were securely set. Then I noticed a frayed spot in the wire. I cried at the loss of that treasured heirloom. It had hung for 10 years in my other home; I never thought to check the wire!

Two weeks later, at 2 am, my husband’s grandmother’s mirror that hung above the fire place in our bedroom also came crashing down. Yes, there was a frayed spot in its wire too. (You can bet I then checked the wire on every other mirror in my house.) I cried again at the loss. I thought, Lord, why did we lose two such treasured memories of our past?

He reminded me that a mirror shows an image, and that we are made in an image as well – the image of Christ. We reflect His image to the world. The wire that held the mirror up was a lifeline, and that we have a lifeline too. It is our personal relationship with Jesus.

The image we want to reflect is that of Christ in us. If our wire has frayed spots in it, then we open doors for the enemy to come in and weaken our wire, possibly causing our reflected image to be cracked or shattered.

I believe there are three key things that can weaken our wire:

1. Disobedience

2. Unforgiveness

3. Busyness

The opposite of those can strengthen our lifeline:

1. Obedience

2. Forgiveness

3. Quiet time spent with the Lord

Just like we need to check for weak or frayed spots in the wires that hold up our mirrors, we need to also check for weak or frayed spots in our relationship with God, so that our reflected image of Him doesn’t shatter.

My Prayer for Today:

Father, I pray that each time we look in a mirror today and see ourselves that it will remind us to take care of the image we reflect of You to the world around us.

Application Steps:

Take the time to make sure you don’t have any areas of disobedience, un-forgiveness, or busyness that could cause your reflected image to be tarnished. Choose to be obviously obedient, fully forgiving, and continuously quiet before the Lord, so that your image can reflect His glory to the world.

Reflection Points:

Is there something God has been asking you to do that you have not yet obeyed?

Are you harboring any unforgiveness?

Are you so busy with life and/or talking about God that you are forgetting to talk to God?

Power Verses:

Deuteronomy 30:16, “In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply and thou goest to possess it.” (KJV)

Matthew 6:15, “But if you do not forgive others their trespasses (their wreck less and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go and giving up resentment), neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.” (AMP)

Colossians 4:2, “Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer (life) being (both) alert and intent in (your praying) with thanksgiving” (AMP)

Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit; and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (KJV)