But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. – James 1:22-23
Years ago, when my wife and I would stay on the campground during Portland’s annual camp meeting, our cabin had a very old mirror that distorted everything it reflected. I do not know why we continued to use it each year, since it made getting ready for services a challenge. Another time, we moved into a house where a mirror had specks of mold in it. It really was not worth looking at. The point of a mirror is to reveal whether or not we are prepared for our upcoming activities, so if a mirror cannot reveal our flaws, it is useless. Moreover, we would not bother to look into one if we did not plan to fix any problems we see.
Our focus verse compares the Word of God to a mirror. Just like a good mirror will reveal our true appearance, looking into the Scriptures will reveal what is in our hearts. Unlike some mirrors, the Bible always gives a clear and accurate reflection of our hearts. However, it will not automatically fix our problems. It is up to us to act upon what is revealed to us.
One of the most common mistakes we can make is to rely on others’ understanding of God’s Word, or to take only a fleeting look into it ourselves. How effective would it be to ask someone else if we looked okay before leaving the house? Not very. Others do not know what to look for like we do, nor do they care as much about our appearance. So it is with the Word; we cannot depend on others to learn it for us. We need to study it, ponder it in our hearts, and meditate upon it so God can apply it directly to our lives.
Another mistake that seems easy to make is to look into God’s Word and then forget what it revealed. God is faithful to show us areas that require refining, but it is possible to walk away and forget about the problem. We can become so busy with life that we never take enough time with the Lord to allow Him to remind us of weaknesses that He has pointed out. We want to guard against this by taking action right away, as soon as the Lord lays it on our hearts. By waiting, we risk falling into a third mistake: failing to take action.
If we looked into a mirror and discovered streaks of dirt across our faces, we would wash the dirt off immediately. Not only would we not want others to see us that way, but we would not be very happy knowing our faces were filthy. Even more so, we must be sure to act when the Bible reveals something in our lives that needs to be “cleaned up.” We represent Christ to a lost world, and we want our spiritual lives to be a beautiful reflection of Him. We will have happiness in our hearts when we obey His Word.
As we study God’s Word and meditate upon it, He will reveal the areas of our lives that need work. With His help, we will be doers of the Word and effective witnesses for Him.