- by Kwame Jilda -

The mirror on the wall is perhaps our most respected “adviser” of our physical appearance. One of the reasons we spend so much time before a mirror is because we value how we look to others. When the mirror on the wall tells us that everything is in order, then we can go to the public with confidence.

With so many contradicting opinions today, it is sometimes difficult to know what the truth is. The only way to know the truth is to open the Bible and listen to God. When we humbly ask God to show us the reason for our misery, he gently directs us to look in the mirror to see if something is out of place. We should allow the Bible to change us. To obey God is to use His Word as our mirror. It should change our attitudes, our thoughts, our actions, our dress, our speech, etc, etc. We should allow the Bible to correct us and to be our guide for living a life that is Christ-like.

James 1:22-27closeJames 1:22-27 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV) closeJames 1:22-27closeJames 1:22-27 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV) 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (ESV) - “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 a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into 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. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”.

We must look into God’s mirror and see our own reflection. It is futile to look into the Word of God and not compare it to our own lives. We cannot be God’s children and not be obedient to Him. Not obeying God’s Word and allowing it to change us is like looking into a mirror and doing nothing about what we see.

Looking into a mirror serves a specific purpose – to have a realistic idea about ourselves so that we can make corrections if needed. In order to make corrections we have to have a standard to compare to. The Bible is that standard. Don’t be just a hearer of the Word; be a doer of the Word. Dig deep into God’s Word and let it change you.

A mirror shows us the outward appearance, but the Bible gets into our lives both inward and outward. The Word of God shows us the outward appearance, and then goes much deeper, showing us what is within our hearts and minds.

God doesn’t want us to just hear His Word; He wants us to obey His Word. God also wants us to examine ourselves by His Word. Using the Bible as our mirror, we are to dig into the Word and check ourselves to see how we compare. We should correct our actions, our speech, and our lives, both inward and outward.

The Bible Is Our Spiritual Mirror On The Wall.

Jilda

Have you ever watched athletes run a long race? Sometimes they run a very long way. When they run very long distances, they have to be careful not to run too fast at the beginning. If they run too fast at the beginning, they will be too tired to finish the race. If they run too fast in the middle, they will be too tired to finish the race.

So they have to learn to run fast but not too fast. This lets them keep running the entire race and finish. They have to learn to be patient. They have to learn that sometimes it is better to be consistent and finish than to run very hard and get tired and not finish.

Paul wrote about this in Hebrews 12:1closeHebrews 12:1 Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (ESV) closeHebrews 12:1closeHebrews 12:1 Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (ESV) Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (ESV) , “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

We have a long spiritual race to run during our lives. We must learn to be patient and finish the race. We must learn to be able to run fast but not too fast that we tire out and fall out of the spiritual race for heaven.

The only way to learn how to do this is to read and study the Bible. God tells us everything that we need to know to run the race with patience. He wants us to finish the race and go to heaven.

Kwame Jilda