"As the face is reflected in the water, so the heart is the mirror of man."
Proverbs 19
Yesterday I posted about horrible tests crippling animals. Why is it that people want to look beautiful at the expense of animal suffering?
The reason they do this is one of Satan's lies: forever young. However, this is just putting on a mask.
The mirror will not tell the truth because it sees the mask, not the heart. It sees plastic surgeries, it sees poses, it sees games, appearances. You can go to church flashing a smile, but at home be a snow queen. Home really is the test of having or not having a mask.
We Christians especially need to examine ourselves to see if our lives are a reflection of what we show others. Are we not deceiving ourselves and others. This is not about private matters, but about emotions, a state of mind.
I once said to a sister in the faith about a certain person "this man is not my brother, but only my neighbor. If it is written in Scripture that "he is my brother and sister who does the will of the Father," I will not pretend he is my brother and think how far he is from Scripture. I leave such alone praying for them. Even if it were a pastor bearing bad fruit, not doing the Father's will, he will not be a brother to me, and I will not pretend that everything is ok.
Bible
James 1:22-24
22 And be ye doers of the Wordand not just listeners, fooling themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 For he looked at himself and went away, and immediately forgot what he was.
You can't hide the mask at home. It is here that we have the spiritual laboratory; it is here that we experience truth. One of the fruits of the Spirit is love and joy (Galatians 5.22). This joy is independent of the environment and the moment. The apostles of history who were scourged for Jesus went rejoicing in the spirit.
After the last reunion, I spoke with my brother Robert. He told me that he came back full of joy from the reunion. He rode alone glorifying God. This is the fruit of the Spirit, because the Spirit gives love and joy, independent of name days or presents, but it is joy in the spirit resulting from transformation, which is the work of the Spirit:
II Corinthians 3:18 We all therefore, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as the Lord, who is the Spirit, does.
It is important to see yourself as you are. That is the truth. Then we will see this truth and if there is a blemish, a pain, a thorn, you must come to our beloved Lord Jesus and ask Him to remove it.
The Bible can even be learned by heart. You can play with quoting verses, but the test of Christianity is the fruits of the Spirit, and of these the most important is love. If one does not have it, he is like a clanging copper.
English 
Polish
Powerful and believable words for reflecting on ourselves, under whose control we are.
As always Peter well written.
At home, behind closed doors, you can see everything. That is why I so often kneel down and ask the Lord to take away my anger and impatience from my heart. It is difficult, a person no matter how much he loves his family will not stop being angry by himself. You have to pray earnestly to God for this in faith 🙂 .
That's right!!! 🙂
Thank you in Jesus' Name for this beautiful text. I was reminded of how I used to put on such a mask when Satan brought back bad memories and I had to show that all was well. Thankfully, Jesus healed me and I don't have to pretend anymore.
But I'll admit it felt a little strange to see a quote from a book that isn't good. Though the reference is apt.
I also felt joy and peace after the reunion, so that I wasn't afraid to walk home through the fields at dark at night 🙂 I actually still feel that way, despite the oppression.
I don't know this book, Justynko. I found it on the Internet...thinking it fit the text.
It's Harry Potter Peter 🙂 The passage describes a magic mirror. When one looked into it, it showed the greatest desires of the heart. Only the happiest man could see his reflection in it. And just such a long gaze could lead to madness.
All in all, something seemed off so I figured I would write 🙂 And I got another push to write my testimony.
thanks so delete 🙁
Seeing this mirror reminded me of an interesting story, I hope I don't twist it too much and that you guys like it 🙂 I hope you like it.
"One rich man wondered for what reason he was not happy in his life."
One day, asking his friend about it, he asked him to go to the window and describe what he saw.
- I see crowds of people walking down the street
- Now look in the big mirror on the wall. What do you see?
- I see myself, I think that's normal.
- Notice that the first and second time you looked at the glass, except that in the second case the glass was covered with a layer of silver.
Beautiful meditation 🙂 kind of continuing the theme about Jesus being the light, and us abiding in Him having light and not walking in darkness. These are my favorite topics to ponder lately 🙂 .
People must be approached with a good word (the bread of the Gospel, the word of Allah) and never with an insult (a stone, a rumour, the lies of this world). The wise will give it back; the foolish will ignore it (to his own destruction).
The honest follower of Jesus Christ does not protest (actively or passively, to the best of his ability) against the effects of evil, but against the causes that produce it. He has it so much easier than John Hus, William Tyndale, Arthur Zwingli, Martin Luther, John Calvin, etc., because he has at his disposal technologies for this purpose which the others have not even dreamed of.
Type Maximilian Berezowski's America of Beautiful Dreams into the search engine. Look at stamps on the cover. The book was published by state publishing house KiW in 1989 (the communist regime was still in power).