LOOK again!!!

How do I look?

"But whosoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it- not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it- they will be blessed in what they do." James 1: 25 (NIV)

We all get that last look in the mirror before we embark on our social journeys. That last look is to ensure that we are looking the way we think we should- in tact and well put together.

What happens if we see that a strand of our hair is not laying the way it should? What happens if our mascara is smudged on one eye? If we looked in the mirror and saw that something about our appearance wasn't right, what would we do?

The answer is simple for most. We would go back and make the necessary changes in order to look our absolute best. In fact, some of us are so conscious of our appearance that we would risk being late for a meeting or function just so that we could "get it right."

The same goes for our spiritual selves. The word of God is our mirror. We must examine ourselves daily, sometimes more than once or twice. The same way we do a self-check in our mirrors before we leave our homes is the same way we should do a self-check according to our Bibles. Is there a "hair" that needs adjusting? Is your "mascara" smudged? The word of God will show you who you are and what you should look like.

The Bible says that you will know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 12:33). What kind of fruit do you bear? The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. It is important that we look as good on the inside as we do on the outside. After all, God is not at all concerned with our outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). He is concerned, however, with our hearts.

Do you possess any of the above mentioned qualities? Maybe you have faith but no peace. Maybe you are meek but have no joy. God loves us so much that he desires for us to possess not some, but every fruit of the spirit. How do you obtain them? Just look in the mirror (the Bible).

The mirror shows a direct reflection of who you are. If you look in the mirror (the Bible) and see that something is not right, go back and adjust yourself accordingly. Keep adjusting until you get it right. James 1:25 encourages this very thing by saying to continue in it. Practice makes perfect, right? God is patient. You won't have to worry about him blowing the horn because you haven't come out yet. He won't be sitting on the couch huffing and puffing or looking at his watch every five minutes because you won't hurry up.

Remember: You should be judged by your fruit- not by the kind of makeup you have on. At the beginning, middle, and end of the day, you should look like your Creator. The best and only way to obtain that particular look is to "look intently in the perfect law". The word "intently" indicates a certain determination. To "look intently in the perfect law" shows that you are serious about your task/purpose. It means that you are not interested in being just a hearer of the word. Instead, it indicates that you want to DO what the word says do. That, Pretty Girls, is INTENSE!

Take another look in that mirror. What do you REALLY look like?

Until next time, Pretty Girls... xoxo