15 in 5: Mirror, Mirror

I COR 13: 4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (NIV)

We spend so much time every day checking our reflection.  When we wake up we shake our head and wonder how we will ever control that bed head, before we walk out the door we take one last glance to make sure we are presentable to the world.  We catch our reflection in the store window and think, “wow, I am lookin’ good today”.  Needless to say, we are pretty familiar with the person we see in the mirror.  But what if the mirror is skewed, what if you catch yourself looking in one of those warped carnival mirrors? Some of them may make you look shorter, taller, fatter, thinner…some even make you look like a bobble head!  If we spend enough time looking in an inaccurate mirror we begin to forget what our real reflection looks like and eventually we will begin to believe the lie!

You and your spouse were created in the image and likeness of God. Marriage speaks to the world about the Nature of God.  Individually we are created to be His reflection to the world, but together in marriage we are more than just His reflection. Together we are a reflection of His love, His forgiveness and WHO HE IS!   From the beginning of time the enemy has been attempting to warp the reflection of God. Since he cannot hurt God, he will try to hurt you (His image) or your marriage (His reflection).  If you are damaged to a point that your marriage suffers, then not only are you defeated but so are your children, grandchildren and generations to come!   We must see our marriage as God does, as a reflection of Him.  The longer we see our marriage in an inaccurate reflection, the more likely we are to buy into the lie and forget what a real marriage looks like. 

Have you forgotten what the reflection of your marriage really is? Do you want to know what a real marriage looks like? It’s simple, examine the nature of God.  He is loving, kind, gentle, merciful, humble…here’s a hint… compare your marriage to I Corinthians 13:4-7.  If you examine the reflection of your marriage and you aren’t seeing the traits of God then you are looking at a jaded version of the truth God has for you and your spouse.  Don’t pass down that crazy carnival mirror reflection to the next generation.  Take the time to see the full picture and know what you and your marriage are reflecting to generations to come. 

Prayer Points:

·    PRAY that God will show you how to reflect HIS attitudes in your marriage

·    ASK Him to protect your marriage from the one who seeks to destroy

·    THANK Him for showing us who HE is through our spouse

You are God's Best!

Pastor Don Gibson