James 1:21- 25 says, “21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
Before we go to work, leave for an interview, or head out on a date we usually do one thing immediately before leaving: we check ourselves in the mirror. And we’re not just looking in the mirror, we are looking for imperfections in our appearances. Afterall, no one wants to go out on a second date if your shirt is on backward, your face has a booger hanging off it, and your teeth have this morning’s bacon in between them. So, just to make sure we look our best, we put time and effort into looking at ourselves in the mirror.
Now, just like we put time and effort into looking at ourselves in the mirror, do we put that same time and effort into looking at ourselves in the Bible? I mean, do we, as Christians, not just read the Bible, but also look at ourselves compared to the Scriptures. Just like when the Bible says, “21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Do we just read over this, or are we going to stop and look at our own moral filth and evil and do something about it?
I encourage you, as you are reading through the Bible with this book, to not just read the Bible, but to let the Bible change you. I encourage you to look at yourself compared to the Bible because, “whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” So, If you get nothing else out of this book, I ask that you remember this verse, and not just remember it, but apply it to your life.
Before we go to work, leave for an interview, or head out on a date we usually do one thing immediately before leaving: we check ourselves in the mirror. And we’re not just looking in the mirror, we are looking for imperfections in our appearances. Afterall, no one wants to go out on a second date if your shirt is on backward, your face has a booger hanging off it, and your teeth have this morning’s bacon in between them. So, just to make sure we look our best, we put time and effort into looking at ourselves in the mirror.
Now, just like we put time and effort into looking at ourselves in the mirror, do we put that same time and effort into looking at ourselves in the Bible? I mean, do we, as Christians, not just read the Bible, but also look at ourselves compared to the Scriptures. Just like when the Bible says, “21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Do we just read over this, or are we going to stop and look at our own moral filth and evil and do something about it?
I encourage you, as you are reading through the Bible with this book, to not just read the Bible, but to let the Bible change you. I encourage you to look at yourself compared to the Bible because, “whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” So, If you get nothing else out of this book, I ask that you remember this verse, and not just remember it, but apply it to your life.
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