James 1:22-25 22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Cue the music... “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways, And no message could have been any clearer, If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change.” Michael Jackson's song, "Man in the Mirror" will now be stuck in your head all day long. What would happen if we actually used the mirror to help us make change. James, from the bible, had this idea long before MJ. How stupid would it be for us to wake up in the morning, go look in the mirror, see the mess that is our face, and then not do anything to fix it. You don’t splash water on your face, don’t fix your hair, don’t brush your teeth. Nope. You just look and SEE all the problems. Crazy right. James is saying that when you and I read the word of God it’s like looking in a mirror. The mirror is there to reveal the problems. We then have to submit those problems to God for resolve. It takes doing something about it. Don’t just read the word and forget what you look like in it’s light. Make a change. Ask God to reveal and to heal. What if we began to not only look in the mirror, but we “took a look at ourselves and made a change”. This all starts with knowing what God thinks. Find out, through His word. Then you can begin following his instruction. Find out what God thinks about; racism (James 2); love (I Corinthians 13); life (Romans 12); and more by reading God’s word. But don’t just stop there, MAKE A CHANGE. If God’s word cuts sometimes, good. It’s working. Allow it to be your mirror, and then follow it’s instruction.