It was Saturday in the little lumber town in northern Ontario and Dick had been spending his week's wages in visiting every bar on Main Street.
At last as he wandered from bar to bar a mirror in a shop window caught his eye and he stepped into the shop to inquire about it. After a closer look he decided to buy it and take it home to his wife.
While the salesman was ringing up the sale a beam of light fell full on Dick's face and was reflected in the shining mirror. Certainly the unfortunate man was not looking his best. His clothes were rumpled and stained, his hair disheveled, his face dirty and his whole appearance anything but inspiring. At first, unconscious of his deplorable condition, he stood there, until, like a lightning flash, came the illumination.
When the sudden ray of light shone full on his face as he admired the mirror, he saw himself in his true colors. With a clenched fist he let fly at the glass-bang! The pieces flew all around like spray from a fountain, and he disappeared before anyone could stop him.
The shopkeeper kept the remains of that mirror as a curiosity and as a lesson. The price could still be seen on it and people became interested and would walk in to ask about it, so the broken mirror told its own story many times.
Did you know that God has a mirror too? If you turn to James 1:25 you will see that He says that the Bible is like a mirror and advises us to look into it intently, then obey it.
Just let us select three words from this wonderful Book which show what man is as God sees him.
First: UNCLEAN. "They are all together become filthy." Psalm 14:3.
Second: LOST. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Isaiah 53:6.
Third: CONDEMNED. "He that believeth not is condemned already." John 3:18.
We have all turned our backs on God, and we have all come under the sentence of judgment. That is the first flash from the Book of God. Perhaps you may be tempted to deny the Book, to say it is not God's divine revelation, and so on. That is simply doing what Dick did when he smashed the mirror.
Like this poor man you may be unconscious of your condition, but ignorance is no excuse. You are lost, but Jesus came to save the lost.
You are condemned. The execution is kept back by the longsuffering of God, but that day must come for all who reject God's Son as Savior.
You are unfit for the presence of a holy God. Do you see that in the mirror of God's Word? Then see also God's great love for you. At the cross He gave His Son to be your sin-bearer. In His death we see cleansing effected for we read, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.
It is not by your good deeds, prayers or penances, but solely on the ground of the work of Christ. Rest on that as your merit alone. Put your hands into His in simple faith, receive Him as your very own Savior and "thou shalt be saved."
"Salvation is of the Lord"
Before salvation can be received by anyone he must realize that "salvation is of the Lord." Jonah 2:9. He must learn, not only that man is unable to buy or earn salvation, but that he cannot do one thing to help obtain it.
When a man has learned that all his righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight, his mouth is stopped. Then the cry breaks forth from his heart: "Woe is me! for I am undone." Isaiah 6:5. From then on he must look only to God. If salvation is to come to him at all, it must come as a free gift.
Have you come to this place? Have you learned that prayers, though with tears, or the most faithful performance of duties, or even the giving of all of one's goods to the poor, will do nothing towards obtaining salvation? If so, then listen to this: "the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10.
Christ Jesus came into this world to reveal God's heart toward poor sinners; but man hated Christ and crucified Him between two thieves. That same Jesus Christ was God's own dear Son, who had done a perfect work on Calvary, and "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior." Acts 5:31.
No one who has taken the place of a lost sinner and come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation has ever been rejected. Christ's word of promise is: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13.