Reflections of a Believer
In my last post, I spoke of my love for pictures and how people portray themselves in photos.
As I was writing that post, a thought hit me: If God judged me off of random snapshots in my life, what would He say.
Like many people, I would logically break my snapshots into before Christ and after Christ categories.
Playing a highlight real of my before Christ snapshots, I realized there would be some pretty damning evidence against me.
Then as I began to play my after-Christ snapshot reel, I realized, there is some damning evidence there too. See, although I live for Christ now, I am nowhere near perfect. I still have irrational moments. I still slip up from time to time. And, I do not do everything I wish I did, but in spite of this fact, these two times look distinctly different from each other.
As true as this is, no matter how different each season of life looks, I realize even on my best day, I make mistakes. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6 NIV, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
See, the truth is, even on our best day we are not perfect. We all, myself included, think thoughts we want no one else to know, do things we wish we hadn’t, pass judgment on someone, or just downright act a fool. Even when we try, we could never reach the level of perfection Jesus reached.
1 Peter 2:22 NIV tells us, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” Can you imagine enduring all that Jesus did and yet not sinning? We get mad when someone cuts us off in traffic and sin. Jesus endured ridicule, persecution, torture, and death. All from the hands of the people he wished to save.
Although perfection is impossible for us, Jesus, fully man and fully God( Isaiah 9:6), was able to become the perfect sacrifice to cover our sins. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV said it like this, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
No matter what our snapshots show, we will never be good enough on our own. We need Jesus to step in and wash us white as snow. (Psalms 51:7) It is only then; we can go to the throne room of grace.
So, the next time you look at yourself in the mirror, remember Jesus died on the cross for you, and as you grow closer to Him, your snapshots should mold and change and look more like Him, but that is next weeks post.
For today, I am reminded that Jesus is and will always be my light in this dark world. The one who was willing to sacrifice all for me. He is the ultimate picture of perfection and through Him we will have eternal life.
Father,
We come to you today and ask You show Yourself in a pure and powerful way. Help us to see Your magnificence and desire to grow closer to you. Amen
Side Note: Having a relationship with Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make. If you have never entered into a relationship with Him, today could be the start of the most amazing journey you will ever take. A relationship with Him is not just a prayer to pray; it is a change in attitude and shift in perspective. And I challenge each of you to learn more.
For more information go to my webpage at https://reflectionsofabeliever.org
