In review of James 1:23-24, it says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (NIV)
It is important to listen to what God's Word says, but it is much more important to obey it and do what it says. I can measure the effectiveness of my quiet time studies by the effect it has on my behavior and attitudes. God's law offers me a true reflection of my sinful condition and gives me the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness. As a Christ follower, I am saved by God's grace, and salvation frees me from sin's control. I'm now free to love as God created me to life. This doesn't mean that I'm free to do as I please. Rather, I'm now free to obey God.
I look in a mirror to evaluate myself. And then do something about what I see.
The Bible says that God’s Word is like a mirror: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24 NIV).
Just as a mirror reflects what I look like on the outside, God’s Word reflects what I’m like on the inside.
Hebrews 4:12 says that God’s Word discerns your heart’s thoughts and intents. That’s one of the reasons many don’t read the Bible. They’re afraid to look into the mirror of God’s Word and see themselves as they really are.
Three practical ways to use God’s Word as a mirror into my soul..
First, read it. Not just casually. Read it carefully, like the person in James 1:25 “who looks intently into the perfect law” (CSB). We all have just glanced into a mirror, walked quickly away, and forgotten all the details of what we’d seen. But God wants me to spend time gazing into the mirror of his Word.
Next, review it. That same verse in James talks about the person who doesn’t just look once into God’s Word but “continues to do so” (James 1:25 EHV). This person comes to God’s Word over and over. Jesus told his followers: “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31 NRSV). And Psalm 119:97 says, “How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long” (NCV).
Finally, remember what I’ve read. Nothing will do more for my spiritual life than developing the habit of memorizing Scripture. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (KJV).
Another way to remember God’s Word is by writing down what God teaches you. Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (KJV). Next time God teaches you something during a sermon or a devotional time, write it down. Give it “earnest heed” so that it doesn’t slip away.
In summary, anyone who listens to the word, but doesn't do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking forgets what he sees. While it's important to listen to God's Word, it is much more important to obey it and do what it says. For God's law offers me a true reflection of my sinful condition and gives me the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. I was saved by God's grace, and salvation frees me from sin's control. So look into the mirror and evaluate myself. Then do something about what I see. God's Word is a mirror and just like a mirror reflecting what I look like on the outside, God's Word reflects what I'm like on the inside. Three practical ways to use God's Word as a mirror. First, read it carefully as God wants me to spend time gazing into the mirror of his Word. Next, review it. Don't just look one, but continue to do so. Finally remember what I've read. Develop the habit of memorizing Scripture, or by writing down what God teaches me.
Father, I pray this morning that I can be a person who gazes in the mirror and then uses it to change myself. I ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to reflect on God’s Word by reading, reviewing, and remembering it. I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I pray through your Son Jesus name, Amen.
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