Sermons and Studies

You Are Not What You See In The Mirror

If you don't have a hard-copy Bible available or an app on your phone, Bible.com is a fantastic, free resource with multiple versions in numerous languages available. (I'm not trying to promote one site over another, I just know and trust this one.)

Before we begin, why not start with some praise and worship music that hits you right in the spirit, and spend some time worshiping the God who created you? If you're limited on time, play the music while you pray. Don't forget to ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to learn and understand from this lesson!

I would urge you, Beloved, to take the time to actually read the Scriptures that are in boldface type. I know it's time consuming, but you won't get as much out of your time with God if you don't read what He has to say.

Start with I Corinthians 13:9-12. When you look in the mirror, what does it tell you about yourself? (Seriously, take some time and think about this!) When I look in a mirror, I see flaws and imperfections; flab and bags and sags and dark lines that all scream about my weaknesses, yes? When I was younger, I saw the opposite; firm skin, shapely form . . . I felt almost invincible! Yet, in God's eyes, the mirror is dead wrong!

Check out I Samuel 16:7, 11-12. Notice the family dynamics here. Jesse (grandson of wealthy Boaz and Ruth) is no peasant! He has servants. When the famous prophet comes to town and invites Jesse to a sacrifice and feast afterward (read that 'church and a fellowship dinner',) Jesse only gathers up the oldest seven of his sons. (Seven is the perfect number in Jewish numerology, so maybe he was trying to impress Samuel?) He leaves David out in the sheep pastures. Why? Because David's family has little regard for him. He's an afterthought, treated as a servant, more than a son.

David is a 'youth' but no mere child. He's somewhere in older adolescence, between 18 and 29 years of age, about the same age as the youths who mocked Elisha at Bethel in II Kings 2:23. David was old enough for a man's work, but not old enough for marriage because Jewish men were not considered adult until the age of 30. Jesse didn't think enough of this youngest son to even give him the opportunity to worship with the rest of the family! Jesse saw a servant but God saw a warrior, a leader of men, a king. What do you suppose David saw in the mirror that morning? Certainly, no general or king! Even after he was anointed, David didn't start to even resemble what God saw in him for several years, even though God immediately sent David to the king's court in I Samuel 16:14-22. Read verse 18 again. THIS is the guy who got snubbed by his own dad?!

David comes to understand the mirror's lies and in Psalm 139, he acknowledges this as best he can, describing his time in his mother's body. Look at the spiritual parallel in Psalm 139:16. Before we ever learn to even put on armor, God has already ordained, and indeed even sees, where in the lines of battle we will fight, what role in His army we are predestined to fill!

Now head over to Mark 1:19. Here, we see Jesus calling a couple of fairly young fishermen (as evidenced by the fact that their dad is still hard at work beside them at a fairly rigorous profession.) They have lived their whole lives as fishermen and see themselves as just that.

Look at what Jesus saw them as in Mark 3:17; Sons of Thunder! Loud, bold, heralding lightning that flashes across the sky, unstoppable forces of nature! I doubt either one of them saw that in a mirror.

Look at Ephesians 2:10. God created these tasks 'beforehand'- before we were born! Obviously, preborn babies are not equipped to do anything except exist and grow. Even after their eyes are formed enough to see, they would not see themselves as God sees them.

Now, flip back to Proverbs 20:29. Spiritual strength is not measured in muscle mass or body mass index (BMI,) but in the maturity and strength of our relationship with God. It is only with age, experience and a willing heart that we grow strong as Christians. This, then, is the thing; when God comes and says 'You are My thus-and-such', to react as David did, rather than Gideon!

For Gideon, head over to Judges 6:14-15. God addressed Gideon as a warrior, 'with the strength that is yours.' Gideon cringes. He sees himself as the least son of a weak clan in a lesser tribe. All he sees in the mirror is flab, zits and rags. Then, when hesitant Gideon is finally convinced, since he has no more ways to flip that fleece, he finally, finally gathers up a suitable army, of which God sends 99.1% back home. That army went from 32,000 to just 300! God, on the other hand, saw the warrior he'd equipped, rather than the shrinking violet Gideon clearly felt like. God is not bound by what Gideon's logic told him, or what ours tells us. Those 300 men witnessed firsthand God's power and might, that night!

God has not changed since that dark night when three hundred and one men attacked a vast army with torches and trumpets, according to Hebrews 13:8. He sees you as what you are IN HIM, not what you are in the mirror. The mirror tells me I'm an out-of-shape, unhealthy, overweight, past-my-prime grandma. God says I am His prophet, His pastor, His warrior. The mirror laughs. God scorns the mirror in a divine version of the old redneck, 'hold my beer and watch this!'

Ephesians 3:16-21. Amen, let's pray!

Heavenly Father, we praise You because You are not bound by the laws of mortality! Thank You that we are who You say we are, and not that piece of glass in the bathroom! Lord, it's not always easy to see ourselves as You do. Please show us who we are in YOU, rather than who we think we are. Help us to understand the purpose You have for us and to trust You, even when we don't understand what You're doing in our lives. We praise You because, as our Creator, You can make us into anything You chose, no matter what we think we are or think we can and can't do. You're truly awesome, God! In Jesus' Name we praise and give You thanks, amen.