Mirror, Mirror of My Mind
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When you look at yourself in the mirror of your mind, what do you see? Whatever it is, I have a prediction. Your life will be an exact reflection. Why? Because what you see is what you think God sees. That’s a big time thought. So big, in fact, you can’t help but live what you think you see.
Sinner or saint?
People who see a sinner in the mirror will be like my friend who used to be in the military. As he walked along (well, he marched), he would repeat in cadence, “Obedience! Obedience! Immediate obedience!” It seemed like life was made of check marks next to spiritual successes, things that he did in order to sin less.
On the other hand, if you see a saint in the mirror, you’ll see something that the Holy Spirit has put in you, a nature called “God’s seed”[1], or, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”[2] It is absolutely impossible for this part of you to sin. I think that if you could see that nature as God sees it, you would be stunned by its brightness! So, if you see a saint, how would you spend your day? Focus on how you could live and look like the pristine truth, beauty and goodness of the nature of Christ in you.
How you start the day is how you’ll live it. What you first see is what you’ll look and live like.
A right motivation
While Christians who see themselves as primarily sinners can still have lives that honor the Lord, the Lord cares about not just what we do, but why we do it. He wants outward manifestations to match inner motivation. It is at this point that the all-important difference of thinking, more than just a nuance, comes into play. Intentions (outcomes) may be the same, but two people can look the same outwardly and, yet, have two different motivations.[3] One is motivated by fear, the other by love. One starts the day with a sense of weakness because of self-reliance, the other with strength that is given by Christ.[4]
Take a look for yourself
Browse Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Circle “riches” (five times), “grace” (twelve times), “glory” (eight times) “fullness” or “filled” (six times), “in Christ” or “in Him” (about twelve times), “in”, “with” or “through” Christ (some thirty times). Go back to the mirror. Now ask, “Mirror, mirror of my mind, am I of sin or in the Divine?”
[1] “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (I John 3:9)
[2] “…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)
[3] “…the Word of God is living and powerful… a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
[4] This is not to say that my friend was not striving for holiness, it is to say that as we understand more of who we are in Christ, there will be a deeper understanding that “Christ is my life.”
In other words… your *who* is seperate from your *do* — is that correct?