'The Man in the Mirror'
So my dad recommended me this book some time ago: "The Man in the Mirror" (by Patrick Morley) and as I finally started reading through the acknowledgements and introduction I noticed that it said it was written specifically for men. Hmmm, thankfully I found a small sentence further along saying it was okay for women to read it too. Whew!
Anyway, if you have never read this book before or even heard of it, I would, so far, recommend it. It seems to go to the heart of the problems we face as Christians living in the secular world. Simple, straightforward and with truths that can only challenge your walk with the lord. As a person who adores quotes, I was happily met with some basic truths that came even from the likes of Simon & Garfunkel! One quote that stuck out particularly for me today was one describing the difference between cultural and biblical Christianity:
'Cultural Christianity means to pursue the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our own way. It is sensing a need for God, but on our own terms. It is wanting the God we have underlines in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him, too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.' (from a paragraph in the book)
Isn't this such a wonderful truth that our God is absolute? He is more than we can imagine Him to be. He is perfect. He is Holy. As such, it becomes a wonderful challenge to worship Him for what He IS and not what we suppose Him to be which can only be either a teeny, tiny part of the entirety that He is or a totally false image which we create to deceive ourselves. It actually goes on to say, "Cultural Christianity is Christianity made impotent. " So we really miss out on some powerful stuff when we don't get to know the God of the Word even if we know the Word of God.
What can I say, I'd just recommend you read the whole book. It's got some pretty fascinating research in it though it is a little dated. If you're anything like me, you'll like the funny anecdotes and illustrations that make these lessons for living according to God's will and word so much more practical and applicable. I was also encouraged when I was listening to Casting Crowns on my way home and realised the song that was playing in my ear could just as well have been taken directly from the chapter I had just read! And to think, I've only reached page 77 out of 370+ pages! I'll let you know what else I find in there.
"Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."
-James 1:23-24
