How many times, or for how long, have you looked in the mirror today?

Most of us gaze at our reflection with intention. We consider how to present our best (or at least better) appearance, noticing what others might see and, hopefully, approve.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b NKJV, letter M in Do LAPS!). God cares about our spiritual reflection, our heart’s condition.

What – or rather, who – is our heart reflecting?

As humans, we have a lot going on within us! Mixed with our personality, there is the pull of our flesh and our spirit, our sinfulness and our righteousness through Christ (Romans 7). When we submit to Christ by his grace, we choose to live according to the Holy Spirit within us, and the mind controlled by the Spirit reveals our adoption by God (Romans 8). God himself provides the way to live pleasing to him, and he is glorified!

Do you remember that Moses radiated God’s glory after being on the mountain with him to receive the Ten Commandments? How amazing is that?! The Israelites were afraid when Moses returned to them in that brilliance (Exodus 34:27-35).

Are we a reflection of God’s holiness and goodness? How would that come to be in our own lives?

In order to reflect God, we need to spend time in his presence. God reveals himself to us in his Word, meaning not only in the Bible but in the Living Word – Jesus. After giving our life over to him, the Holy Spirit works in us, growing us in godliness. This will be evidenced by our character, thoughts, and actions that resemble the God we serve. As the apostle Paul describes, the Spirit of the Lord is transforming us into his likeness, so we reflect his glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Word of God is living and active, such that when we spend time reading and meditating on it, we come away with our hearts affected by it (Hebrews 4:12).

So the next time you look in the mirror, look a little deeper to consider who you are reflecting. We can never spend too much time looking on the One we should reflect.

The Heart Training books get you in God’s Word and applying it each day! Did you know that you can work through your book more than once, since God’s words apply fresh to our different stages in life?