James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently at the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does.
- Word of God is a mirror of the inner man
- Word of God is a double edged sword that discerns the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
- It reflects the condition of our soul and spirit.
- Our spiritual condition is shown clearly through this mirror, nothing is hidden from it.
- We may be looking at a dirty, grimy or soiled face. We may be seeing a malnourished and lean frame, though our physical appearance may be beautiful and strong.
- We need to give attention to this reflection in the mirror of God's word.
- Every dirt, grime and filth is comparable to a sin / part of our life and character which is not yet under the Lordship of Jesus. When the mirror of God's word convicts us of sin, we need to confess it and ask our loving Lord Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We need to be washed by the blood of the lamb.
- When we see a lean or famished or sick soul it indicates that we are not feeding our soul and exercising our spirit. So we need to feed our soul with the heavenly manna of the word of God and ask the Lord to fill us with the living waters of the holy spirit. Even as we eat three times a day to nourish our physical body, we also need to give priority in our life to nourish our soul. Let us look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and be doers of the word of God.
- Our war is not against flesh and blood, as Paul wrote in the Ephesians. So we need to exercise our spirit through Prayer. "Pray without ceasing" the bible encourages us.
Let us not put away or ignore this mirror or forget the image it reflects. Isn't it this very mirror which is going to confront and challenge us when one day we leave our body behind and stand before our Judge at the gates of heaven?
