It Never Lies

I’m thinking of something that never lies. Do you know what it is?

That’s right, God never lies. And the Bible never lies. But I’m thinking of something else—something in your house that you probably use and see every day. It’s a mirror!

A mirror? Yes, a mirror never lies! People may lie. A painting may lie. Many artists carefully change their paintings to cover up flaws in their subjects. But a mirror never lies. It shows you exactly as you are, flaws and all.

You may think you’re pretty or handsome, but just take a look in the mirror and you’ll see the truth. No mirror can hide those pimples or wrinkles or spots! No mirror can make a homely person pretty!

Isn’t the Bible like a mirror? Most of the time we think we’re pretty good people. We don’t swear or lie—well, not too often, anyway. We don’t talk back to our parents like Johnny does, and we go to church every Sunday and we pray before our meals—yes, actually we’re pretty good people! God wouldn’t put us in hell we tell ourselves. Why, there are so many people worse than we are!

But stop a minute. Look in the mirror. Look in the Bible. The Bible will tell us the truth. The Bible says something else. It says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That means all people—everyone— you and I have sinned.

“Okay,” you say. “Sure, I’ve sinned. I’ve done a few wrong things in my life. But not as many as Peter or—”

Now, stop a minute. When you take a bath, do you look at how dirty Peter is to decide if you need a bath or not? Of course not! You don’t take a bath because he is dirty; you take one if you are dirty! And thaf s the same when we look in the Bible mirror.

The Bible does not tell us to look at Peter or Johnny and think how much better we are than they, but instead to look at the perfectly sinless Jesus and see how much worse we are than He!

Jesus was pure, with no sin, and perfectly righteous! If we compare ourselves to Him, then how clean do we look?

Some of us still think to ourselves, “But I am really a good person! I go to church, I am friendly, I read the Bible, I pray....” But then we look in the Bible mirror and read: “There is none righteous (good), no, not one!” That means not even you or me!

Paul tells us about this in Romans 7. He had thought he was such a good person until he looked into the mirror of the ten commandments. And then he saw the truth! “Everything that I should be doing, I don’t do,” he said, “and what I shouldn’t be doing, I find myself doing!”

Is that the way it is with you and me? Did you ever look into the Bible mirror and see how it really is with your soul?

— SW

Uninsured

“Daddy,” said a little boy as he climbed to his father’s knee and looked into his face as if he understood the importance of the subject, “Daddy, is your soul insured?”

The father, who was a prosperous farmer, looked startled. “What on earth are you thinking about, my son?” he replied. “Why do you ask that question?”

“Well, daddy, I heard Uncle George say that you had your house insured, and your life insured but he didn’t believe you had thought of your soul, and he was afraid you would lose it. Won’t you get insured right away?”

The father leaned his head on his hand, and was silent. He owned acres of land that were covered with a bountiful harvest, his barns were filled with plenty, his buildings were well covered by insurance. He had the day before, taken out a life insurance policy for a large amount. Yet not one thought had he given to his own immortal soul. On that which was to waste away he had spared no pains; but for that which was to live on through the long ages of eternity, he had made no provision. “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul?” “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation” (Mark 8:36; Hebrews 2:3).

— Rock Valley bulletin

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