DAILY MANNA
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A LOOK AT THE MIRROR
JAMES 1:19-27
KEY VERSE:
"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed" (James 1:25).
A story was told of two dogs that went to the house of one thousand mirrors. One was unfriendly and the other very friendly. As the unfriendly dog climbed up to the wall to see the mirror, it saw another one thousand unfriendly dogs like it and as it barked, it suddenly saw another one thousand fierce-looking dogs growling back at it from the mirror. It had to quickly run out because it was afraid it could be eaten by the ferocious one thousand beasts. Meanwhile, as the friendly dog climbed up the same house, it saw another one thousand friendly dogs in the mirror. As it wagged its tail to greet, one thousand other happy dogs greeted it in return. What both saw in the mirror was actually a reflection of how they both look and what they both had inside of them.
The book of James is blessed with so many biblical metaphors and symbolic expressions. We read today that we should be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath". For this to be possible, we must look into the mirror of God’s word. If we have been looking into an imperfect nature, law, music, words or writings of men, then we may as well harvest the imperfect and rash behaviours of the fallen man. But when we look into the perfect law of liberty and continue therein, and if we be doers of the Word, we shall be blessed in our deeds.
There are indeed enormous blessings when we use the word of God as the perfect mirror to daily x-ray our lives and conduct. It helps us have control over what we say and how we act. Our religious devotion would become purer and approved by God; and we will know how to impact others positively. Every detail of our lives must be guided by God’s word because by it, we will be judged ultimately.
My wife and I have four children, with our oldest in college and youngest in elementary school.
Helping them develop their own walk with God is on our minds—a lot! So are questions about why so many young people are walking away from
faith, and why parents often have a distant relationship with God.
I’m called to guide my own family, and help other believers walk with God. I’ve seen all kinds of programs, books, and solutions offered. All sound wonderful, but seem to fall short.
And there’s plenty of explanations about why young people are drifting from faith – it’s culture… it’s media… it’s parenting styles… it’s ineffective youth ministry.
I kept coming back to an answer that was so obvious… I almost missed it. The Bible
Thought for the day: God’s Word is the cleanest mirror we can trust to see our souls.
Bible Reading in one Year: 1 KINGS 12-14
Good morning.
