I remember back in the early summer when the days were long, COVID was rampant, and grief had sunk in, and I looked in the mirror. Not just a typical look but an in-depth look. I stared and said to myself, “This has taken a toll on you.” You could see gray in my hair, bags under my eyes and there was just tired written all over my face. I wasn’t the same as I was before.
A friend of mine came to visit me Thursday; he has been at John 3:16. John 3:16 is a place much like a rehab center but so much better. He started telling me about a scripture that he read about being a doer of the word and how, when we look in the mirror, we shouldn’t forget what we see, much like when we read scripture, we mustn’t forget what it says.
Immediately I had a God moment. That morning I had listened to one of the Daily Devotions for our 40 Days in the Word by Rick Warren. Guess what it said? The same scripture, the same topic- the mirror. The next day Amy sent our bible study group a song “Different” by Micah Tyler singing about looking in the mirror.
I love it when God’s hands over 3 little words.
Let’s look at the scripture.
DIVE INTO SCRIPTURE
James 1:22-25
New International Version
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it 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. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
WHAT IS THIS SCRIPTURE SAYING?
DISSECT IT AND MEDITATE ON IT-
Listen- give one’s attention
Do- perform an action, achieve or complete
Forget- fail to remember, inadvertently neglect, put out of one’s mind
This scripture is telling us we are to not only listen to what God is telling us within His word, but we are to do what He is telling us. We are to apply God’s word to our life. We also can’t forget His word, fail to remember, neglect, or put His word out of our mind. If we study His word, remembering it, and following through, we will be blessed.
Pastor Dino Rizzo of Baton Rouge explained this scripture like this in 40 Days in the word daily devotional. If we go to the mirror, look at ourselves, and see a blot of ink on our face, but we don’t do anything to fix it or remove it. We turn from the mirror and go about our day, forgetting the blot of ink. We go to work with this massive spot on our face, and everyone is looking at us like what in the world.
We shouldn’t see something and forget it. I didn’t leave the mirror that day this summer and forget what I had seen. Do you forget what you look like when you look in the mirror?
When we study God’s word every day, digest God’s word every day, meditate on God’s word every day, we won’t forget His word. When we dive into His Word, we will change, God will adjust our life, and we will be blessed.
Amy Youngblood sent our bible study the music video “Different” by Micah Tyler last week. Tyler’s song has significant meaning to him because it was a very trying time in his life. His grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer, and a hurricane had just stormed through their town, dropping 44 inches of rain. He kept waiting on things to get back to normal. Then they found out that his brother had stage 4 colon cancer. They began preparing to fight by his side. Tyler prayed to Jesus – change these things, stop the storm, but God had chosen not to stop these things just yet. Tyler then realized that the best question isn’t change these things but change me so I can handle the things that you are walking me through.
The words resonate with what we need to hear about God’s word. Tyler writes
I don’t want to hear anymore teach me to listen
I don’t want to see anymore give me a vision
That you could move this heart to be set apart
I don’t need to recognize the man in the mirror
And I don’t want to trade your plan for something familiar
I can’t waste a day I can’t stay the same
I want to be different
I want to be changed
Til all of me is gone
And all that remains
Is a fire so bright
The whole world can see
That there’s something different
So come and be different
In me
Let the word of God change you. Allow His word to shave away the attitudes that need to be removed, alter the beliefs that need to be adjusted, and eliminate the thoughts we do not need. Allow yourself to be so significantly changed that your friends don’t recognize you and that you don’t even recognize yourself when you look in the mirror.
CHALLENGES OF THE WEEK
• Keep your daily appointment
• Dive deep into his word
• Be so committed to God’s word, not just listening but doing so that you are more like Him and less like you. Be the reflection of Him in the mirror.
• Fill your cup with Christ
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