LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR OF THE SOUL.

LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR OF THE SOUL.
“Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself ,goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it , and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does”( James 1:21b-25)

The most difficult thing for most of us in this life is to see ourselves as we really are. We like to “kid” ourselves about our condition:” My hair is not really that gray” or “these clothes just make me look heavy.” In the spiritual realm, we tend to follow the same pattern, convincing ourselves that we're not really as bad as we seem to be. God knows that nature within us, and He gives the remedy by providing a mirror, so that we can see ourselves spiritually as we actually are.

THE BIBLE REVEALS US AS GOD SEES US:
Sometimes when we look in the mirror, the picture is not the one we want to see, But the mirror only reveals what we really look like. If the face staring back at us is dirty or bewhiskered, it isn't the fault of the mirror- the mirror just reveals the true condition. We must use the mirror to “correct” ourselves to make the image what it should be. So, we wash the face or shave or comb the hair. Spiritually, the Bible is our mirror. If we don't like what we see, we must “correct” ourselves, for the image is not the mirror's fault.

Even with the “great heroes” of the Scripture, God reveals the dirt. He tells us of Abraham's lie (Gen 20) , of Moses' impertinence (Num 20), of David's adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11) and of Peter's denials of the Lord (Matt 26). But we don't look into a mirror to see others, we use it to see ourselves. Most of all the Bible reveals me to me. When we read in the Bible about the sins of others, we cannot help but become more aware of our own sins. When we read in Gen 3 of the temptation of Eve ,can't we see our own daily temptations and weaknesses?. The resulting “soul-searching” is the mirror effect of the word of God. Sometimes we need a comparison to be able to view something in perspective. Thus a tree which seems small when seen at the foot of a high cliff shows the enormity of the cliff's height. So let's measure ourselves. What do we see when we look at Jesus in the scriptures?. Peter wrote “ Who did no sin ,neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not…(1Peter 2:21-23). The Scripture adds that Jesus was “in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Sometimes we hide behind the excuse that we just can't keep all the commandments. But Jesus did, proving that we can.

THE BIBLE SHOWS WHAT WE CAN BE:
A look into the mirror each morning would do no good if we simply turned away and did nothing, and just studying the Bible will not change our life if we do not apply what we read in our day to day life. Apostle John wrote:” If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Notice again “But be ye doers of the word , and not hearers only, deluding your own selves” (James 1:22). Jesus is still asking” But why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say”(Luke 6:46). In the Scriptures we read of God's love and His commands for us , and because we trust Him, we do what He says.

Let's continue to be doers of the word and as we learn and do we become more like Jesus. God promises a day of judgment when each of us shall give account of himself to God. We do not have to wait until then to know our state with God. He reveals it in that “mirror of the soul”-His Book. Study it for yourself ,know your spiritual state as He reveals it in His word. Put your trust in Him, and do what He says, and you can be confident that He will say” Enter in good and faithful servant”.

May God bless you .