Reflection Of Your Life

[Jeshu]

I think you are right about some things here. We have to know the Word in order to be sanctified. But does reading the Word itself sanctify us, or is there more to it than that?

Good observation. i believe it is the word in Spirit which convicts us of our sins and gives us the ability to do away with our sins.

i call Him the Living Word - when we meet the truth inside our hearts much more so than intellectually. When the truth of His Spirit takes us into the sufferings of Christ then we get fireworks inside.

 

[LightLoveHope]

James 1 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.


Hello you and welcome.

You know when we look into a mirror the reflection of ourselves looks back. All past experiences, good and bad are all part of that reflection.

What do you do when you remind yourself of all those things you did before?

What do you feel? Good about yourself? Guilt, Shame? We have all made mistakes in our life.

What would you do if you see Jesus Christ in that reflection?

You realize he lives inside of you ?

Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Do you walk away, and forget the person who you once were?

Did you know how dangerous that is to forget who you once were, it was like you did not care. Even after knowing that Jesus Christ died, so we all could be forgiven of that old person you see in the mirror, and renewed from the inside with a changed heart.

James is getting at the first hurdle of walking with Jesus, us.
Until we realise we are capable of all the worst sins done by man, we have not understood ourselves and our lostness. Worse still our hearts will defend, justify and argue that we had the right to do x, even though in doing x, we are guilty of losing our lives no matter the justification.

And worse still our hearts will change our thinking and emotions so we will not admit we are wrong, need to repent and feel real hurt at the damage we have done to another. To be betrayed by that one closest to ourselves, yet who we implicitly trust, ourselves is the deepest cut of all. It is this mirror that we need to see, to be able to know our debt to Jesus to come a cleanse us, to stand patiently beside us through all the mess and lessons we need to follow.

It is hard for me to conceive how easily I dismiss others who in so many ways are more astute and talented than myself, but to accept my place, my gifts, my value, is to know others in the light. If I am to help, to change one ounce of anything outside myself, I must see what is, not what I would dearly hope would be.

When asked by someone about love, and their rights to exclude people from their heart, the poverty of their lives is laid bare. If love ruled, rights and defence are laid down for service and help, to reach out and show another matters, despair and loneliness are delusions of separation from the Father, when the door through Christ is open and freedom and truth are ready to heal and make them whole.

On that last day, when we stand before the King, it is who we are that stands, not our hiding or self deception. Appearance matters for nothing, just ourselves either embedded in Jesus or weeping and gnashing of teeth, literally knowing not why but this lostness, a shell with nothing left behind.

God bless you

 

[Anthony2019]

From a very early age, I learned to adapt to all kinds of new and unfamiliar situations.
As a very young child, my Dad died and my Mum could not look after me. We moved into the house of a very abusive man. Very often my mother would leave the house and I would be left alone with this man. I remember spending most of my time crawling as I had not fully learned how to walk. I was repeatedly beaten and kicked. When I cried out, I would be dragged to the kitchen and he would ram jelly into my mouth to keep me silent. Lots of cuddles, lots of reassurance, as long as I stopped crying and kept quiet. Fortunately one day the neighbours heard my cries and alerted the police. I was rescued and taken to hospital. My jaw and all my other injuries were mended and I was put into a children's home.
A few years later, I was introduced to a foster family. They came to visit me at the children's home. When they came, there was always smiles. They brought me presents and showered me with love and attention. I remember the day they told me they wanted me to live with them and that they would become my Mum and Dad. I was overjoyed. I felt a sense that I was wanted and that I truly belonged. But during the year and a half of that foster placement, they showed their true colours. I was bullied and hated because I was not the person they wanted me to be. Their two older children, my two foster sisters, were absolutely perfect, and I was a nuisance, an intruder, someone they never truly wanted. I used to be terrified at night and would suffer from night terrors. One night, I was absolutely petrified, and the foster father, instead of comforting me and consoling me, gave me the biggest walloping and hiding I can remember. From that day onward, I never shared anything with them. I was absolutely terrified of sharing anything with them again. I frequently vomited at night, but I preferred to lie in my own sick all night, because I was too afraid to tell them. In a very strange way, I loved them as if they were my own family and my own flesh and blood, but I was absolutely terrified of them and never told them anything, Needless to say, the foster placement failed and I shortly returned to the children's home where I spent many more years.
Even today, I have never felt hate or contempt towards these people. I see them as people who were deeply flawed, perhaps weak, broken and shaped by the world in which they lived. Perhaps they were people who were hurt, and even abused themselves, and responded only in the way that they knew how. I have never held it against them, and even today, I wish them well. I wish them no ill will, except that they might learn from their faults and become better and kinder people. For the rest of my life, I found it very difficult to trust people, especially men.
In my early years in the Christian faith, I was taught that God was my Father but I found this extremely difficult to relate to. Yet over the years, despite my many weaknesses and failings, I have felt reassured and comforted, held and loved, by my Father in heaven, who has always treated me gently, with such forgiveness, love, tenderness and compassion. Today, I do not live in fear, but in simple faith and trust.

 

[LightLoveHope]

From a very early age, I learned to adapt to all kinds of new and unfamiliar situations.
As a very young child, my Dad died and my Mum could not look after me. We moved into the house of a very abusive man. Very often my mother would leave the house and I would be left alone with this man. I remember spending most of my time crawling as I had not fully learned how to walk. I was repeatedly beaten and kicked. When I cried out, I would be dragged to the kitchen and he would ram jelly into my mouth to keep me silent. Lots of cuddles, lots of reassurance, as long as I stopped crying and kept quiet. Fortunately one day the neighbours heard my cries and alerted the police. I was rescued and taken to hospital. My jaw and all my other injuries were mended and I was put into a children's home.
A few years later, I was introduced to a foster family. They came to visit me at the children's home. When they came, there was always smiles. They brought me presents and showered me with love and attention. I remember the day they told me they wanted me to live with them and that they would become my Mum and Dad. I was overjoyed. I felt a sense that I was wanted and that I truly belonged. But during the year and a half of that foster placement, they showed their true colours. I was bullied and hated because I was not the person they wanted me to be. Their two older children, my two foster sisters, were absolutely perfect, and I was a nuisance, an intruder, someone they never truly wanted. I used to be terrified at night and would suffer from night terrors. One night, I was absolutely petrified, and the foster father, instead of comforting me and consoling me, gave me the biggest walloping and hiding I can remember. From that day onward, I never shared anything with them. I was absolutely terrified of sharing anything with them again. I frequently vomited at night, but I preferred to lie in my own sick all night, because I was too afraid to tell them. In a very strange way, I loved them as if they were my own family and my own flesh and blood, but I was absolutely terrified of them and never told them anything, Needless to say, the foster placement failed and I shortly returned to the children's home where I spent many more years.
Even today, I have never felt hate or contempt towards these people. I see them as people who were deeply flawed, perhaps weak, broken and shaped by the world in which they lived. Perhaps they were people who were hurt, and even abused themselves, and responded only in the way that they knew how. I have never held it against them, and even today, I wish them well. I wish them no ill will, except that they might learn from their faults and become better and kinder people. For the rest of my life, I found it very difficult to trust people, especially men.
In my early years in the Christian faith, I was taught that God was my Father but I found this extremely difficult to relate to. Yet over the years, despite my many weaknesses and failings, I have felt reassured and comforted, held and loved, by my Father in heaven, who has always treated me gently, with such forgiveness, love, tenderness and compassion. Today, I do not live in fear, but in simple faith and trust.

I remember as a kid thinking I did not want to forget what it was like to be a child, aware of the problems going on around me, but not interacting that much, because nothing seemed to have value.
Those who find Jesus, seem to agree with Jesus about this world and its confusion, and the lack of trustable people.

It is what spoke to me most strongly about Jesus. He was so consistent and spoke with a depth I heard no where else.

Praise the Lord you found Jesus and are learning to reach out, as you have been reached out to.

God bless you

 

[mlepfitjw]

From a very early age, I learned to adapt to all kinds of new and unfamiliar situations.
As a very young child, my Dad died and my Mum could not look after me. We moved into the house of a very abusive man. Very often my mother would leave the house and I would be left alone with this man. I remember spending most of my time crawling as I had not fully learned how to walk. I was repeatedly beaten and kicked. When I cried out, I would be dragged to the kitchen and he would ram jelly into my mouth to keep me silent. Lots of cuddles, lots of reassurance, as long as I stopped crying and kept quiet. Fortunately one day the neighbours heard my cries and alerted the police. I was rescued and taken to hospital. My jaw and all my other injuries were mended and I was put into a children's home.
A few years later, I was introduced to a foster family. They came to visit me at the children's home. When they came, there was always smiles. They brought me presents and showered me with love and attention. I remember the day they told me they wanted me to live with them and that they would become my Mum and Dad. I was overjoyed. I felt a sense that I was wanted and that I truly belonged. But during the year and a half of that foster placement, they showed their true colours. I was bullied and hated because I was not the person they wanted me to be. Their two older children, my two foster sisters, were absolutely perfect, and I was a nuisance, an intruder, someone they never truly wanted. I used to be terrified at night and would suffer from night terrors. One night, I was absolutely petrified, and the foster father, instead of comforting me and consoling me, gave me the biggest walloping and hiding I can remember. From that day onward, I never shared anything with them. I was absolutely terrified of sharing anything with them again. I frequently vomited at night, but I preferred to lie in my own sick all night, because I was too afraid to tell them. In a very strange way, I loved them as if they were my own family and my own flesh and blood, but I was absolutely terrified of them and never told them anything, Needless to say, the foster placement failed and I shortly returned to the children's home where I spent many more years.
Even today, I have never felt hate or contempt towards these people. I see them as people who were deeply flawed, perhaps weak, broken and shaped by the world in which they lived. Perhaps they were people who were hurt, and even abused themselves, and responded only in the way that they knew how. I have never held it against them, and even today, I wish them well. I wish them no ill will, except that they might learn from their faults and become better and kinder people. For the rest of my life, I found it very difficult to trust people, especially men.
In my early years in the Christian faith, I was taught that God was my Father but I found this extremely difficult to relate to. Yet over the years, despite my many weaknesses and failings, I have felt reassured and comforted, held and loved, by my Father in heaven, who has always treated me gently, with such forgiveness, love, tenderness and compassion. Today, I do not live in fear, but in simple faith and trust.

Anthony, this is a great story and am surely thankful you had survived the situations you were brought into.

Your story reminds me of my own mother, which was lived with most of my life, and she always had the dominion over me. I hated her for it. One time really wanted to kill the woman though those these were just feelings of aggravation that had to be dealt with a lot by living with her under her roof. Ended up harming myself that day instead of her by slicing my arm open.

How did you not hate those people? What kept you from hating those people? Was there a still voice in your head some where that came along your experiences like this in life that kept you from not hating?

 

[Anthony2019]

Anthony, this is a great story and am surely thankful you had survived the situations you were brought into.

Your story reminds me of my own mother, which was lived with most of my life, and she always had the dominion over me. I hated her for it. One time really wanted to kill the woman though those these were just feelings of aggravation that had to be dealt with a lot by living with her under her roof. Ended up harming myself that day instead of her by slicing my arm open.

How did you not hate those people? What kept you from hating those people? Was there a still voice in your head some where that came along your experiences like this in life that kept you from not hating?

A very good question.
I have no idea why I never learned to hate the people who had harmed me so much.
Perhaps back then, I only knew life as it was. I had nothing to compare it to. My story may sound awful to those reading it, but for me, it was my normal way of life. I knew nothing different.
Perhaps it is my dry and archaic British sense of humour, treating people, places and things as ridiculous and cretinous. It is hard to hate people when their stupidity might not be their fault.
Perhaps it is the fact that, back then, there was no proper counselling, certainly nothing like the kind of therapeutic services that are offered today.
Perhaps it is the story of the thief upon the cross, who was crucified alongside Jesus. We do not know much about him, about his life and wickedness, except for his final plea for the Lord to "remember him". And the words of our most gracious Lord: "today you will be with me in paradise".
Or perhaps it is the fact that despite my many failings, the times I have walked away and strayed, I have always found myself back in the Father's arms with complete and total forgiveness. Without condemnation or judgement, but always with bountiful love and care.

 

[mlepfitjw]

A very good question.
I have no idea why I never learned to hate the people who had harmed me so much.
Perhaps back then, I only knew life as it was. I had nothing to compare it to. My story may sound awful to those reading it, but for me, it was my normal way of life. I knew nothing different.
Perhaps it is my dry and archaic British sense of humour, treating people, places and things as ridiculous and cretinous. It is hard to hate people when their stupidity might not be their fault.
Perhaps it is the fact that, back then, there was no proper counselling, certainly nothing like the kind of therapeutic services that are offered today.
Perhaps it is the story of the thief upon the cross, who was crucified alongside Jesus. We do not know much about him, about his life and wickedness, except for his final plea for the Lord to "remember him". And the words of our most gracious Lord: "today you will be with me in paradise".
Or perhaps it is the fact that despite my many failings, the times I have walked away and strayed, I have always found myself back in the Father's arms with complete and total forgiveness. Without condemnation or judgement, but always with bountiful love and care.

That what you say is understandable being a normal way of life. Okay thank you for sharing Anthony.

 

[Tom1961]

I look in the mirror and see a man that is free from the pain of my past iniquities. I once was rebellious of the laws that the Bible taught me, but now I see God's guidance as guardrails to keep me on the road to salvation. Romans 8:31 says "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" God wants what is good for us, even when we can't see such. This includes the understanding that He is worthy of all of our love and commitment. That is paramount in understanding our relationship with the Trinity.

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

[HappyHope]

James 1 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.


Hello you and welcome.

You know when we look into a mirror the reflection of ourselves looks back. All past experiences, good and bad are all part of that reflection.

What do you do when you remind yourself of all those things you did before?

What do you feel? Good about yourself? Guilt, Shame? We have all made mistakes in our life.

What would you do if you see Jesus Christ in that reflection?

You realize he lives inside of you ?

Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Do you walk away, and forget the person who you once were?

Did you know how dangerous that is to forget who you once were, it was like you did not care. Even after knowing that Jesus Christ died, so we all could be forgiven of that old person you see in the mirror, and renewed from the inside with a changed heart.

I’m a big time reflector. This is not because I wallow in guilt or shame. I really don’t. I love to reflect to recenter in Christ and what the Lord has done for me. It grounds me and refocuses me. Realignment might be the best word. While I have definitely not lived a perfect life, my sin has not subtracted from my efforts to at least try to live by biblical standards. Wanting to do the right thing by the Lord seems to count a lot even when we fall short.

He knows our hearts inside and out, so it pays to reflect and know our own hearts as well as we can. Also, reflecting helps us to see where we are to determine where we need to be in Jesus. Fear is probably my most constant offense. Fear of not getting everything right with the Lord or my family, but He lets me know it is a one-day at-a-time, trust-and-obey thing.

Back to the heart thing, I think personal reflection takes out some of the guesswork of our less than righteous motivations. I find it hard to believe how Christian leaders today are buying into the whole no-one-really-knows-their motivations philosophy. I heard this from a pastor and a Christian professor in the last year. Sorry I disagree. People just don’t want to know their motivations but can with time, reflection, and prayer. All around good stuff reflection. Sorry if I got on a tangent. Thanks for posting this thread!

 

[rom8:38]

James 1 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.


Hello you and welcome.

You know when we look into a mirror the reflection of ourselves looks back. All past experiences, good and bad are all part of that reflection.

What do you do when you remind yourself of all those things you did before?

What do you feel? Good about yourself? Guilt, Shame? We have all made mistakes in our life.

What would you do if you see Jesus Christ in that reflection?

You realize he lives inside of you ?

Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Do you walk away, and forget the person who you once were?

Did you know how dangerous that is to forget who you once were, it was like you did not care. Even after knowing that Jesus Christ died, so we all could be forgiven of that old person you see in the mirror, and renewed from the inside with a changed heart.

I do nothing to remind myself about my former self. I walked in ignorance and in worldly conditioning. Instead, I glorify my God and Savior in accepting me where I was at. I can offer a picture of that journey where the Father is bringing me to be more like Christ and the gulf He crossed to take me in.

Who I was before, is unimportant. It is who I am with Christ in me that is my sole focus.

Thank you for your contribution. God Bless.