When you look in a mirror who do you see?
Yeah, I asked it. Who do you see when you look in a mirror? I know I tend to see a little more of me than I care to see, if you know what I mean…. Who do you see? Is it who you want to see?
Now this post is not meant to depress you, so I’ll jump to the good part. God very likely sees more than you do, and it is more in a good way. The challenge for those in Christ, is to truly see ourselves as God sees us.
So who does God see? Timothy Keller in his very short book (meaning very readable book), The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness, writes:
“…take Romans 8: 1 which says ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’. In Christianity, the moment we believe, God imputes Christ’s perfect performance to us as if it were our own, and adopts us into His family. In other words, God can say to us just as He once said to Christ, ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ “
For those in Christ, I ask you, who do you see? Do you see someone who is condemned? God does not. Do you see someone who is imperfect? God does not. Do you see someone who has made some mistakes? God does not. Do you see someone who is unloved? God does not. Do you see someone who displeases God? Yep, here too, God does not.
You are probably saying to yourself, but I know me. I know what I have done and what I have not done. I know what I have said and what I have not said. I know what I have thought and what I have not thought. I know me.
Here is what we too often forget. It is not about you. It is not about me. It is about Jesus. It is about Jesus who lived the life we cannot. It is about Jesus who took our place on the cross. To be in Christ, is to accept the work of Jesus, to know that yes, I have sinned, and I need to be saved. It is to trust in Jesus to save me, to save you. If you have told God those very things, then you are in Christ. If you have not, will you?
When you trust in Jesus, your identity is changed. What God sees changes, as it was already stated above, “…God imputes Christ’s perfect performance to us as if it were our own…”
You might respond with, “I don’t deserve this.” True. You might think, “How can I pay God back? How can I earn this?” You cannot.
This is something that is given. This is grace, God’s grace.
Keller continues:
You see, the verdict is in. And now I perform on the basis of the verdict. Because He loves me and He accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my résumé. I do not have to do things to make me look good. I can do things for the joy of doing them. I can help people to help people – not so I can feel better about myself, not so I can fill up the emptiness.
So, when you look in a mirror, who do you see? My prayer for you is that you would see the one God sees. One made perfect through Jesus Christ. One truly loved. One welcomed into the family of God. One created and made in the image of God, beautiful!
Blessings,
Pastor Matt