The Man in the Mirror

Posted by Brandon Branham on Aug 10, 2011 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

While reading James 1:23 I immediately begin singing Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” maybe this has something to do with being subjected to Michael every day of my life for 5 years, thanks to my older brother, but maybe this song actually does have some meaning behind it. In the song Michael sings “who am I, to be blind,” is this what James is talking about when he 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 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

I don’t think James leaves any room for misinterpretation in verses 22-24, he is calling us out. I think this is a question for ourselves as much as it is a statement by James, he is making us ask ourselves are we going to sit in church on Sunday, attend our small groups throughout the week, and read our bibles and not do what it is says? This for me is a tough passage, it leads me to questions that I sometimes really do not want to answer, but it is also a great reminder to not just be hearers of the word but to also be doers of the word.

It is not only us that are at risk here and James knew that, he knew that there were thousands of people that needed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and he needed to make sure that we knew who we are in Christ so that we could go into the world and do what Jesus taught us. Timothy gives a good example of this when he says in 1Timothy 4:16 “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” So today let’s not only hear the word but let’s go out and do what we believe in and know that God will give us the strength to do it.

Are there any areas in your life where you are not practicing what you preach?

What are some ways that you can be a doer and not just a hearer?