Magnified

The magnifying mirror in the above picture was hanging on the bathroom wall in the condo where we stayed while at the church conference in Orlando.

I developed a love/hate relationship with this mirror over the five days I used it. It was great to be able to see up close to put on make-up and pluck my eyebrows, but it wasn’t so great to see all the imperfections that go unnoticed under my naked eye. I saw things I didn’t really want to see. I mean, a woman shouldn’t have mustache hair, right? Dry skin and wrinkles that I never see, even when wearing my glasses, glared back at me. Let’s not even get into chin hair and age spots.

The Lord brought to mind a spiritual principle that correlates to my experience. The Word of God is our spiritual magnifying mirror. When we read it, God reveals imperfections in our lives that need to be addressed. Sins that need to be plucked out, blemishes in need of being covered with forgiveness, or wrinkles in our daily walk that need smoothing out.

If we don’t look to God’s Word for enlightenment, we can easily overlook character flaws that have just become part of our daily lives over the years. Without the Bible to magnify our sins, we don’t even notice the imperfections anymore and our spiritual growth stagnates, or even deteriorates.

“But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:22-25 (NLT)

Not only does God’s Word magnify our sins, it magnifies our glorious God. Without daily time in the Word, we can forget just how great God really is, and our problems can overwhelm us to the point of despair. Don’t allow that to happen to you. Open God’s Word, face the truth of what needs to change in your life, then surrender to the change. Allow God’s grace and forgiveness to wash over you, and magnify His amazing love for you.

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3 (NKJV)