“As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Proverbs 27:19 NIV
New Century Version writes “As water reflects your face, so your mind shows what kind of person you are.”
What does the proverbial wisdom say to you?
Consider the lilies of the field… Matt 6:28
thedailylily.com 
One thing it says to me is that, for example, if you have an organized, focused mind, you will do things in an organized, focused manner; if you have a scattered mind, you will probably do things scattered, disjointed and haphazardly; if you have a lazy mind, you will probably be lazy; if you have a sound, healthy, renewed mind of Christ, you will be concerned with what He is concerned with and your deeds will show Christ to others.
It also says, to me, that as a man THINKS in his heart (his heart’s mind as in Sara’s DESIGNS OF ONE’S HEART) so will he appear, outwardly., and all the word will see. And if we are sincerely engaged in winning souls and/or disciples to the Lord Jesus, the spotlight will eventually focus on our spiritual mannerisms, whether godly or fleshly or MIX which begets NOTHING for the Kingdom.
So when we are looking in the mirror and putting on our makeup or shaving or combing our hair, we should also check up on our spiritual image…. IF your’re not sure of how you “look spiritually” check with someone who will tell you the truth.
Interesting that the NIV says: “so a man’s HEART reflects the man”, and the New Century Version says:”so your MIND shows what kind of person you are”. We learned about this very subject, last summer at our retreat, “Designs of One’s Heart”. Sara, you have asked, “what does the proverbial wisdom say to you?”
As the water displays what our face looks like, what is in our hearts and minds, will be manifested in our words, actions, deeds, etc. Maybe I will now check to see if my Bible has the footnotes, for this verse?
Hey Needles, I am your cheerleader. Just what I was looking for. I see you remembered and have been acting on the 2010 Retreat teachings.
This is a great reminder that you gave the heart and CF wanted to expand on the mind and we all wanted to put our words on a diet!
“My mind shows what kind of person I am!” OK, class how does this line up with all this talk about twisted minds! Hot Topic! Thanks Needles, for putting our horse on the track. Hope its a winner to overcome and have healthy thoughts, hearts and minds.
One definition for twisted is: “mentally or emotionally unsound or disturbed” with synonyms being: “bending, crazy, curled, curling, curved, curving, curvy, devious, serpentine, sinuous, tortuous, crooked, twisting, winding, windy.” If your mind is twisted than according to the scripture these words will describe what kind of person you are which are not harmonious and representative of God’s Spirit. In Proverbs 10:20 it says “…the minds of those who are wicked and out of harmony with God are of little value.” (AMP)
Gee, Debi looks like that horse has a broken leg and can’t run the race!
Horses break legs in races usually…and, yes, never cross the finish line. But if you keep a horse as ‘sound’ (horse term meaning healthy, free from injury, supple, strong legs with no defects) as possible through responsible training, etc, this helps them run and finish the race.
In Mark 7: 21 says For from within, out of heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
7:14-23 Our wicked thoughts and affections, words and actions, defile us, and these only. As a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so does a corrupt heart send forth corrupt reasonings, corrupt appetites and passions, and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God, and a sense of the evil of sin, will cause a man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within.
The verse from Psalm 51: 11 says NIV
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord
And take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of My salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord
And take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of My salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence, O Lord
And take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of My salvation
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me.
May our center like the eye of a hurricane be focused on God and his laws and may the Holy Spirit bring grace and peace to center and stabilize lives as the winds of adversity, sin, whirl around us.
The heart of man is desperately wicked. So no matter how much we “dress up” or try to act cordially, eventually what’s in the heart’s mind will come out of the mouth. So who can save us from this wicked tyrant, our heart/tongue connection? Thank God, with Him, nothing is impossible. Only in Christ Jesus can we be delivered from a deceitful heart as the song Rena posted above says. ‘create in me a clean heart, Oh God.’
I did not have a footnote for this particular verse in Proverbs, but I will post how the verse is worded in the New Living Translation. Read with me: “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”
When I looked up ‘real’ Needles in dictionary one definition was : “genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic.” Paul said in I Peter 3:4 that there was a beauty inside called our ‘inner self’ (some tranlations refer to it as ‘the hidden person of the heart’) that should shine forth much more than anything we could wear or put on.
I think this hymn describes that shining and that desire to shine the ‘real Person’:
“Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wonderful passion and purity
Oh, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”
“…your mind shows what kind of person you are.” I got it…Yes, of course, ‘as a man thinks so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
It has often been said, “The tool of thought shapes what it wills.” Become all that you want to be with great thinking. We attract not what we want but what we are!!!!
Debi, think your song needs some thought put in it or on it or something!
Well, maybe the little chorus that Debi posted could be complemented by …..
“Let the Love of my God shine through me
Let the beauty of Jesus men see
Let the pattern of the Son
Be the one the only one
That men may see in me”.___Gwen Shaw
Together with the beauty of Jesus and the Love of our God, maybe that might be Part of what Sara is alluding to……..”some thought”
‘Let’ the beauty of Jesus or ‘Let’ the love or pattern of God in my understanding is not just standing passively and waiting for God to transform us. One definition of ‘let’ in the dictionary is ‘to allow; to cause; to make’. I think that means we have to allow, cause, make a choice to do deeds and think thoughts in accordance with what the Bible teaches us to up to the knowledge and understanding that we have; and that power to choose was obtained for us on the cross that Jesus died on to break the power of sin in our lives and give us a choice.
Seems to me that this verse from the Message in Romans 12:1-2 has some practical advice for letting God shine in us.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.” from Debi’s comment….It is the DON’T that I see as my big major problem. Not about what God does, is doing, wants to do or has done. All about the don’t…..Don’t you think?
“DON’T”……Now look at what I have studied in my Bible study today. “The Beloved Disciple..The life and ministry of John”, by Beth Moore. I quote, from Beth’s study book:
“Christ’s early followers were adventurers! They were pioneers! If they listened to us sit around and decide whether we could work a Bible study to prison inmates around our nail appointments, they’d be mortified. In our postmodern era we associate church life with buildings and programs. Church life to them was moving in the adrenaline and excitement of the Holy Spirit at the risk of life and limb. They were willing to do things we’d think couldn’t possibly be God’s will (risking our necks, for example) for the sheer joy of what lay before them. They ran the race. They didn’t window-shop.”
Hum…”All about the don’t…Don’t you think?”
Beth further says: “I don’t mean to be harsh, but I fear they might look at us and think virtually none of us look like disciple material. But you know what I’d want to say to that first motley crew? ‘None of you looked like disciple material either when Christ dragged you from your safe little lives.’ My point? We can still become disciple material!”
That is…..if we get the “don’t” out of our life, right????
Wheeeee Needles and Beth Moore. Maybe we Don’t want.
And, Needles, while I am telling all about my don’t’s let me tell you about what I did do. Got my toe nails done today. I must say it was a gift and it was very pricey. The gift giver told me the price and I cringed. Then they told me it would do it twice. But, it was only once and that did not pay for the tip. OK, I want to say it was a very lovely gracious gift. I am very grateful to the giver. But, I felt a little guilty since I could do it myself. I teach Bible classes and make less. I send less to ministries. I spend less time doing Bible Studies than it took me to get them done. OK, Needles, did a bird tell you what I was doing? I sure didn’t.
I saw a big wood pecker on the pine tree, in my front yard, yesterday, but he/she didn’t speak to me!
The Holy Spirit is ever present and I am thankful and grateful as well. I like to review my day with the Lord and try and make an honest evaluation. I get Beth’s point. It’s a good one and well taken!
Say, Needles! Maybe when we sing, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me…” we’re thinking of nail appointments and hair salons and new duds…..AND THEN maybe, work in a Bible Study. Guess we’re thinking of externals here and not realizing that the beauty of Jesus must be that Holy Ghost hidden in our hearts WHO then reflects the beauty of Jesus. That we are a sweet gentle scent, the fragrance of Christ, His message of love. Now that’s BEAUTI-ful
“they’d be mortified.” Beth Moore sure gave us a subject to evaluate. If I understand it correctly she brought us face to face with our conversations.
What can we do to make a change for the Kingdom of God? Beth said the early disciples were adventurers and pioneers. They got up and did something, went, told and suffered.
What are we doing? I have been asking myself that for a long time. We surely can see as we read and watch the news we could be very useful. I think about the 4 that just died at the hands of pirates with a boat full of Bibles. That might fall into the category of ‘adventurers and pioneers.”
“…They ran the race. They didn’t window-shop.”…that’s a stark, black and white comparison that brings accountability to God and His purposes to the front burner. Very serious.
Debi, do you think it was a good idea for the 4 to leave a group and go on their own to a place they knew to be potential big trouble?
Needles’ quote from Beth…”‘None of you looked like disciple material either when Christ dragged you from your safe little lives.’ Note the word “DRAGGED”. Didn’t Jesus say to” go out to the highways and by-ways and COMPEL them to come in.” It’s like… bring them in kicking and screaming (like I was brought in). Beat the bushes, tread the streets and cafes and Main St. Didn’t the King do that when the invited guests declined His invitation to the wedding feast for His Son? He commanded His servants to go out to the by-ways and bushes and drag them in so that His wedding feast would be ‘SRO’. Jewish teaching tells that in those instances a nice garment was provided for each guest as he/she was to enter the wedding feast. (The only one that was UNINVITED was the man who evidently thought he didn’t need the garment or missed the whole point and that’s Another teaching in itself.) If and when they will “come in” then the “wedding garment” will be provided by the King…(white linen).
So what I must do is go out, find them and be careful NOT to make excuses of why they will “NEVER” convert, or never come to a Bible Study or never come to church or never talk about the Lord or never give up their life-stle.
If I am a weak witness, then is Christ made stronger, for His strength is made great in my weakness. I just open my mouth to declare the glories of the Kingdom. If I do, someone will want to come in and be putting on a wedding garment and “DRESSING FOR HIS GLORY” (c)sara mullennex
Sara, in answer to your question, “do you think it was a good idea for the 4 to leave a group and go on their own to a place they knew to be potential big trouble?”
Doesn’t seem to me like a good idea to leave the group and head into known pirate territory, knowing also that if you are taken hostage you also may endanger special forces that try to rescue you or other military ships, etc.
But they had been called to carry Bibles into remote regions. Perhaps they were called into that dangerous area and if they were seized by pirates on the way they would use it as an opportunity to take Bibles to them and perhaps win them to the Lord.
Paul traveled into some dangerous territory. In Acts 20:22-24 “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” And he said in Acts 21:13 after Agabus the prophet had warned him about dire circumstances ahead of him and the local believers all begging him not to go on to Jerusalem.
“But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
MG, most exciting communication that is imaginable to human kind.
Last Sunday’s lesson by Pastor Gary was very thought provoking. He read from Romans about how we might as Christians be stopping people from coming to Christ by our actions. Oh my, we as Christians – the ones who shut the door to Jesus instead of ushering people into the kingdom of God. Our face saying don’t bother me or let me get this task done so I can get home or run here and there with no light or sign Jesus was inside of us. Are we so different from those who are all around us? Where is our candle? Wisked out by the draft of the revolving door of our lives? How many opportunities have we missed just to show kindness to the one in front of us. Working at a local retail store has made this come alive for me in the past weeks. Everyone I have met are kind, caring individuals who care about the customer. I met one gentleman at the store who prays for others all hours of the day and studies his bible. Being on the cashier side of the counter makes you think differently. I wonder how many times did I think the person who waited on me and their kindness. I know I never thought of how many hours they had stood on their feet to do their job. Walk in someone else shoes and you get a different perspective. I think taking on a job like this you begin to think about the person standing there. In thus saying this I noticed a young lady cashier in the grocery store. Her name tag said, “Ask me about writing.” As that is one of my favorites, I did. This next time I found her most creative period of time was when she was in Bible School and that she writes beautiful poetry about Jesus. I’m so glad I went to work at that retail store, God must be calling men and women to see the human being who he loves that is right in front of them. I hope the young lady will come on board thedailylily. How many are standing in front of you and Jesus is standing their with you waiting for you to say something? I wonder myself and it is frightening.
Rena, is seems you are seeing and really seeing, hearing and really hearing. That is an amazing accomplishment. And, a wonder where was one before?
As I was reading these comments above a thought came to my mind: When I look at my reflection : What do I have to do to see Jesus’ reflection looking back at me. The stream reveals the true reflection just like the heart reveals the true man/woman. When we analyze our hearts do we see a heart full of Jesus or do we see a heart full of flesh/sin. When we analyze our minds: do we see a mind of Christ or a mind of flesh/sin. When we analyze our reflection in the stream : do we see the face of Christ or do we see the face of flesh/sin. If we haven’t taken the time to analyze our heart, our mind, or our face: maybe we should. Spending time in prayer and studying and applying God’s living Word will breathe life in our hearts, minds and faces. Isn’t it time we allowed God to do CPR on us.
CF, I heard being on a cruise is the perfect spot for CPR. Be blessed as you travel.
Oh thank you Sara. I’m very excited about our trip
“In the face to face everyday dealings…love to God is really called into practice and shows itself in deeds that the Father accepts to be DONE TO HIMSELF.”
“This love is the school of training to strengthen us to love our fellow man who are as yet OUTSIDE the Kingdom”…..and here is the clincher…..”NOT SIMPLY ON CORDIALITY that rests on points of agreement and niceities but with the holy love that takes hold of the most unworthy and bears with the most disagreeable or unlikely or seemingly unapproachable or inopportune, for Jesus’ sake.
In his book Abiding in Christ, Andrew Murray makes these pertinent observations about Christian love and witness that Christ commanded us to do. It sounds like he was reading Rena’s blog before she wrote it, above.
Lois Krawczyk writes about her sister, my cousin and beloved friend and a friend of Thedailylily:
“Thanks to everyone who will miss my Sister Becky… we were so blessed to have had her to share? She also brought so many friends to share with us…just one big happy family! Love is in the air!”
Becky was a perfect picture of God’s love, She shared her faith with all. Drew many to Christ and they came to the fellowship table. Lois got it right we have many family members because of her faithfulness. Her outstanding work in her church speaks of “The Wonder of it All, just to think that God loves us.”
I love the truth of these words with a passion, “she brought many friends to share with us”
Although I am not related to Becky in the temporal sense as her sisters Lois and Kay and her cousin Sara are, I am spiritually related to her as a sister-in-Christ and have heard the wonderful stories of her compassion, humor and Christian love. What a reunion must have taken place in Heaven with her godly mother Ola and Ada and others who have gone on before us! Heaven is just a thought away, as are all our loved ones whom we know worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ and lived for Him. May we all meet in Heaven as with faithful Becky!
What a legacy she leaves and an inspiration for us all.
“brought so many friends to share with us…just one big happy family! Love is in the air!” This one sentence is what I thought would encourage us. When we are believers in Christ Jesus He makes a way for us to have friends and share them with others to make a big family. So many times I hear, “I have no one to bring to the table.” But, we do according to this plan. This was not Becky’s plan. This is the plan of the cross of Christ Jesus for His church family!
Again, bringing others to our site, church, homes, etc. seems to be a big stumbling block for some. Hope her life will encourage others to do the same….
CF, think of you everyday! I really hope from my mind and heart that this trip is a time of refreshing for your Whole!
Verry wise & powerful keep it up Sarah …God Bless Yah..
Verry wise & powerful keep it up Sarah …God Bless Yah..