Carrying a mirror

C.J. Mahaney shares a story that is a great illustration of the importance of God's Word and Community. I'm talking about genuine community and not just community. First I want to talk about the importance of God's Word.
God's Word is to be a mirror revealing all of our shortcomings and not just something we pick up and read. We should be convicted every time we read our Bibles, convicted because of our sin, our fleshiness(not sure if that's a word) and our pride. The Word of God doesn't just act as a map pointing us to the way we should live, it actively shows us the way we are living.
Mahaney shares a story of sitting in a small cafe outside of a business district. He sits down and orders some coffee and a bagel. While he's there he scans the room and sees a gentleman sitting at a table alone. He has a briefcase, a very nice and expensive suit and a very shiny pair of shoes on. He notices that this man must be someone very important somewhere. He is a very distinguished looking man who the workers in the cafe seem to respect greatly.
The man orders a cream cheese bagel and a coffee. He sits quietly seeming to play out the day ahead in his mind and enjoys his breakfast. The man eats rather quickly and is finished before C.J. and his company. As the many lays his napkin on the table he has several of the employees of the cafe come buy and call him by name, wishing him a great day, and telling him they will see him tomorrow. Clearly, he is a regular and that is part of his daily routine. As he stands he turns to grab his coat and smiles at Mahaney and gathers his things. He walks out the door and as he passes Mahaney's table it becomes very clear to Mahaney that the man has a glob of cream cheese in his mustache. How sad, Mahaney thinks that no one even mentioned that to him, some out of fear, others out of lack of care. No one told him and he was off in his expensive Armani suit and shoes with his briefcase tucked neatly under his arm and his hair all neatly in place with a big glob of cream cheese on his face.
What a perfect picture of what we as believers need from God's Word and from other believers. We need to have God's Word act as a mirror, because we all see the faults in others but we need God's Word to reveal to us the shortfalls in our own lives. We need something unwavering, unchanging and perfect to reveal our faults and only God's Word and a relationship with our Creator and Savior will suffice.
So spend time in the Word daily, use it to reveal your faults so that you can share this humbling experience with others.