James 1:21-23 - So
get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly
be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our
souls as it takes hold of our hearts. And remember, it
is a message to obey, not just to listen to. So don’t fool yourselves. For
if a person just listens and doesn’t obey, he is like a man looking at his face
in a mirror;
Perhaps James...the brother of Jesus … spoke from experience
when he penned these words. He lived through the window of his family’s
confusion and misconceptions of his brother to be one of the leaders of the
apostles. He knew better than anyone that to be two sided got you nowhere.
His message is clear…get rid of anything that is wrong in
your life…inside…or outside. Then obey everything
you know God is telling you to do…for listening only does no good. He uses the analogy of a mirror to make his
point. God might reflect to us something
that needs to change…but if we don’t take the time to work on changing it…the
image in the mirror stays the same.
When God truly takes hold of your heart…you begin to see the
things he wants to change in you when you read the scriptures….pray…. and really
listen to the words of wisdom from your friends and family. You begin to throw off the pride and
selfishness of too much me….and let God whittle a bit of humility and grace
into your heart. Sometimes the message
hits you square in the head…and other times it creeps up on you and blossoms
into a wonderful epiphany of the confusion you felt for sometimes years before.
Father…thank you for the reminder to let the mirror of my
soul reflect more of you than it does of me. Forgive me for the times that I
avoid the mirror…or try to convince myself that what I see doesn’t need to be
changed. Help me to be honest with myself…and
truly listen …so I can see every change that you need to make to make me fully
usable in your plan for me. Amen.
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