Magnify

Years ago, before I was married, an Aunt of mine bought me a lovely gold trimmed vanity mirror as a gift. It is circular in shape, and you can flick it over and use both sides. One side is a normal mirror, the other side magnifies everything. Not sure why you want to do that, it doesn’t make you look your best, although it is handy for plucking out those grey hairs!!

It’s lasted well, and I’ve still got it now, even after all these years. It has, however, caused me some problems, in the house I live in now. (I’m sure some of you will have heard this story!) The side window in my bedroom has a really wide window sill and it is ideal for me to sit stuff on, especially when I’m getting ready for going out. Oftentimes my mirror would sit there while I would style my hair in the morning, not that curls take much styling 😂 but I like to see what I’m doing. As you can imagine, with 2 adults and 6 kids, life is quite hectic here in the morning, trying to get up and organised, and out the door, so usually removing my mirror from the window sill after I’ve used it, is the last thing on my mind.

The problem is that when the sun is shining brightly, it shines directly in that window for a good few hours of the day. On at least three occasions I have come home to a smell of burning in the house.

After a hurried rush through the house to find the source of the smell, I find that the sun has been shining in the window, directly onto the magnifying side of the mirror and it has nearly started a fire. Once it burned a smouldering line along the timber frame of the old windows, once it melted the plastic covering of a photo album and the last time it burned a hole through a cushion, melting the stuffing on the inside into a hard lump!!

I’m always really sheepish when I have to confess to Calum what I've done. Once is bad enough but another twice, well...🙈

As I think of my mirror magnifying the sun, it causes me to think of how well I magnify the Son! How well do I magnify Jesus? As a Christian, can I really say that Jesus is magnified in my life? Do I show love, patience and holiness the way that He did? Sadly, I often have to confess that I don't. Thankfully though God is patient with me and doesn't give up on me. For the time being, with His help I will continue to try and let others see Jesus in me.

You don't need to read the bible for too long to see that it magnifies Jesus. I asked myself, what about Him does it really magnify? I thought of that occasion, where Jesus was baptised by John the baptist, and God’s voice was heard from heaven;

“A voice from the cloud said, ‘this is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.’”

That moment is purposely recorded in the bible, because God wanted us to stop and take notice of his Son. He wanted to make much of Him. I thought if God makes much of Jesus then surely I should too! If God says listen to Him, then what did he have to say?

One of the things Jesus said is found in John 8:12

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

I don’t know about anyone else, but as much as I love autumn, I’m not a huge fan of dark mornings and evenings. I have fond memories of being a child, wrapping up warm and taking the dog for a walk, on a dark frosty evening with my Dad, around the streets of Auchinleck, stopping for chips as a wee treat. But somehow now as an adult the magic is gone. Frosty evenings don’t seem to be so common now, more wet and windy, and the dark nights just seem to last forever. Now with the prospect of ‘lockdown’ again for another 3 weeks it can really feel like there is no light at the minute.

But Jesus said he is the light of the world. In the midst of all the current negativity He promises to be the light in the darkness. As we are all socially distant from one another, Jesus can stay with you through it all. He promises that if you seek Him then he will never leave you.

“There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother”

Psalm 18:24

Another thing that Jesus said was:

“I am the way the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

In the midst of the uncertainty of 2020, Jesus says he is the way, he is the truth and he is the life. Not only is he the light, but he is also the light to show you the way. The way that is honest and true, the way that leads to life itself.

Lastly I don’t think you can think about how the bible magnifies Jesus without thinking about his Love. Jesus demonstrated his love to many in the first 4 books of the New Testament. Usually it was always directed towards the underdog, the poor and the needy.

He healed the lame man, and he gave the blind man sight. He brought a Father's daughter back to life. He took sides with a morally questionable woman, he fed 5000 men plus women and children. He freed a crazy, homeless man from demon possession.

All of these are amazing acts of love, but the greatest has to be his death on the cross. Jesus loved you and I so much that he died for us. He willingly laid down his life so that we can experience eternal life.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

John 15:13

The bible really wants you to know, Jesus loves you, he died for you and not only will he be with you through lockdown but he wants to spend eternity with you too.