As In a Mirror

Even in our modern information age, with all its gadgets, mp3 players, ipods, X-boxes, gameboys, cellphones, and MacDonalds, the old principle still stands that nothing beats a good book. But let us qualify, here; how exactly shall we define a “good book”? Action-packed? Vivid description of plot, character, and setting? Happy ending? Support of moral values? How about correct grammar? We might go a little deeper and say, “This book really made me think about the relevency of my own life,” or “Such values or practices will make us better people.”
Have you ever heard people say of a person, “He’s so heavenly minded that he’s no earthly good!” Recently, I mean. Well, just to clarify, that phrase contradicts itself. The heavenly minded are the ones who “make this world a better place,” because they understand the truth that our actions here on earth have eternal relevency. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
In light of this, I believe that the best books are those that challenge us to live more heavenly minded, more sacrificially; those books are the best which bring us to a broader understanding of God or stimulate our desire to seek Him. No other book does this as well as the written Word of God, of course. There are many books which have done this for me, among them Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, Through the Gates of Splendor, all by Elisabeth Elliot, Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt, The Hiding Place by Corrie tenBoom, Brother Andrew and Gladys Aylward by Geoff and Janet Benge.
I want you to know that to describe these books as “inspirational” or “interesting” would be an understatement. They have greatly fortified me and encouraged me; I know that the same battles I fight with the devil have been and are being fought by others. Most of all, I see that in everything, God ALWAYS wins. We just need to completely entrust ourselves to Him so that we can win and reign with Him. (Revelation 5:10) The Lord says that He will divide the spoils with the strong, those who endure to the end. (Isaiah 53:12)
All the above books are biographies of people who put their faith in God. We need to remember that faith is not an emotion or a discipline; it is an assurance deep inside, just as our love for family members is. We didn’t work it up, it is just there, it is real. We did, however, have to nurture it with some things that were painful for us to sacrifice. If we nurtured it, it grows, and if we neglect it, it withers. Our faith is the exact same way, and one of the ways we nurture faith is by confession, then also by action. Faith requires a humbling of ourselves that the believed might be exalted; it requires an emptying of ourselves that we might be filled with confidence in another. “Faith is the realization of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
So, I ask you, where is your faith? Is it growing? If your faith is in Jesus Christ and you are nurturing it by confessing it, sharing it, and studying it in the lives of others, great is your reward if you persevere. As in the lives of the people examined in the above biographies, you must carry your cross down the road, but you have that assurance that the One who carried the sin of the world has conquered the enemy and given you the victory. Yes indeed, a life surrendered entirely to Jesus is a worthy pursuit.