We celebrate our differences with Little Italy, Cinco de Mayo, and Kwanza. We label ourselves Irish-American, Chinese-American, or Native American. Our ancestors were Northern Unionists or Southern Confederates. We pump iron to display our masculinity, and we go under the knife to accentuate our femininity.
Yet we are all human. From bone formation to cellular structure, every human takes nine months to mature in the womb. We all bleed. We all cry. We all require nurturing as children and self-affirmation as adults. We look in the mirror, and we see humanity peering back at us. If we look hard enough, we might discover that we are indeed all the same.
We can find our spiritual mirror image reflected back at us in God’s Word. As followers of Christ, from bone structure to cellular structure, we are indeed all the same.
Hebrews 13:4 tells us that morality is not situational. It applies to each of us.
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”
Romans 12:19 makes it clear that we have no room to hold grudges. We are to release every one unto God.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ ”
1 Corinthians 6:19 says we abrogate our rights to self-determination when we ask Christ into our lives. Our future becomes his.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”
1 John 1:9 assures us that all sins are forgiven for every person who asks. Not just the easy ones like little white lies, but even the big ones that steal our self-respect from us.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Galatians 3:28 gives us equal rights to stand tall in Christ. Our background is unimportant. Christ has stamped his approval all over us.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Now it’s time to pull out our mirror and see how we look in God’s eyes. Let’s ask ourselves what we see from our pew on Sunday morning. Do we see the model of car each church member drives? Or the size of their home? Or their bank account? Or their ethnic background? What do we see, Christ, perhaps, looking back out of their eyes?
Remember, our fellow believers are looking back at us. We’re mirrors, just as they are. It’s Christ we want to reflect back to them.
If people can’t find Christ in our clothing, our speech, and our actions, perhaps it’s time to clean our mirror, so that we can reflect God back to them.
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Code: FGO.C.26.16.vp.esv