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2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

March 8, 2017

Rev. Gale Jones

Psalm 139:1-16

"THE PERSON IN THE MIRROR"

  • Verses 1-6: Often times, we are very guarded...so much so that we don't allow people to get to know us. The reason is because we are afraid that they will discover something about us and not like us. No matter what we think or fear, we are must remember that God loves and accepts up for who we are, and He is always with us through/in every situation.

  • Verses 7-12: No matter where we are or go, God is always there; He is omnipresent. We can never escape from Him. God can see on the inside and because of this only He can accurately judge people. (l Samuel 16:7) Many people spend a great deal of time working on their outward appearance rather than develop the inner character. When we sin or choose to go our own way, we cannot blame God. We must allow Him to guide us so that we can have contentment. We must remember that when we rebel against God’s leading, we are actually rebelling against our own best interests.

  • Verses 13-16: Webster defines Mirror as a smooth, reflecting surface; anything giving a true representation. Most often when we look in the mirror, it is to put on our makeup, shave, fix our hair and/or check to see how we are dressed to ensure everything looks okay. Other times we use the mirror to aid us while driving to let us know someone is getting ready to cross our pathway or in the stores as a form of security to discourage shoplifters. Regardless of how it is used, the mirror plays a significant part in our lives. It is an object by which we use as a tool to aid us in many ways. Its sole purpose is to reveal the truth at what or who we see. I remember a childhood fairy tale, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” who were the objects of the queen's hatred. There was a mirror that says: “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest in the land?” Every day, the queen would ask, but became angry and cast a spell when it said that Snow White was 1000 times more beautiful than her. It does not matter how hard we work to make ourselves look good, the real/true person will always shine through, one way or another. I believe that if we were to take a survey right this moment, we would find that we all use the mirror every day. There may be a few who prefer not to use a mirror. It is not so much that they do not care to use one to make sure everything is in place, it is because they just do not like what or who they see in the mirror.

  • Here, we are encouraged to look into the mirror with a different perspective. I know for a fact, that I cannot guarantee how I may look without checking myself in the mirror first. Yet there is one question I am lead to ask, and that is...Who is it that you see in the mirror? Who is the person in the mirror? There are times in our lives, we so quickly turn the mirror faced down or facing the other person avoiding the truth of who we really are; however, we are encouraged to look into the mirror with courage in at least three ways to identify who we are, who the world sees, and who God wants us to become.

    1. John 8:32 (NIV) reads, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So first, we must identify WHO ARE WE? Psalm139:14 says…“I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” In other words, I know with all my heart that you are to be feared because everything you do is strange, yet wonderful. God created us. He created all things. We are extraordinary and because of this, He loves, cares for and watches over us. We were created in his image and likeness and nothing is more precious to him than humankind. Matthew 10:30 tells us that “We are God's beloved Children.” We are far more valuable to God than even the little birds. No matter what we do to change our appearance, we cannot change the way God made us. We are who we are, with or without the added accessories. It is nothing wrong with doing things to make ourselves look nice; however, the message in the text is that we must love ourselves and each other, just as God loves us as the finish product of His mighty work. Psalm 119:73 says... that his hands made us and formed us. Once we have come into the knowledge of who we are, then we are to identify, but not give in to who the world sees.

    2. Remember now, we are still looking in the mirror, only this time, we are identifying WHO THE WORLD SEES. The world may see us in many ways. The advertisement or social media world is constantly using “the ideal man or woman” to sell its products, and as a result, this ideal has led generations of men and women to diet, starve, exercise, take steroids, inject fluid into their thighs and insert silicone into their breasts. We do all this just to be accepted as the ideal men or women. When we look in the mirror, we are looking at who the world sees. The world does not see you when you first get up in the morning. They only see the finished product when you walk out the door. Please hear me out, there is nothing wrong with what we do to look good. We are God's children/representatives, and we want to look and be our very best. The most important thing to remember is that God created us, he loves us and provides for us no matter what frame (large, medium or small), light or dark skinned, long or short haired we are. God is no respecter of persons, he looks on the inner person which leads us to the final point.

    3. Lastly, as we look into the mirror and have identified who we are and who the world sees, we are to identify WHO GOD WANTS US TO BECOME. WHO DOES GOD SEE? Does he see the person he created or is his creation hidden because of the cosmetic other enhancements? Though we may not have all the qualities of the proverbial woman referenced in Proverbs 10:10-31, we are encouraged to be all we can be for God. We are to focus more on the inner qualities (i.e., attitude and heart). We must remember that we are marvelously put together by our great Creator. If anyone feels they are not important or dislike themselves, I’m here to tell you that God's Spirit is working within us to make us all He intended us to be. We are constantly on His mind. God loves you for who you are! I repeat…God loves you for who you are! He wants you to give reverence to him and not the world. He loves everything about us and wants us to love him, others and ourselves. He loved us enough that he sacrificed his only Son for our sins. So the next time we look into the mirror, we are encouraged to be proud of what or who we have identified, giving God all the Glory, Honor and Praise. Then ask Him to give us eyes to see what He is doing in us, so that we will give reverence to Him and not the world. When we look into the mirror, see God's wonderful creation, the creation he is most proud of in all the earth. We are the most incredible example of God's ability to make things; humankind to be exact. When we look into the mirror, identify WHO WE ARE, WHO THE WORLD SEES and WHO GOD WANTS US TO BECOME, but most importantly, see God's most wonderful creation. So let us praise God because we are fearfully and wonderfully made; his works are wonderful, and we know it full well. We are a part of His great works, and we are the work he is most proud of. Hold your head up high, stop trying to look like this person and that person, and just be. For the person in the mirror is you and me!

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