THE MIRROR OF GOD’S WORD

“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” – James 1:23 

One of the practical metaphors of scripture is the MIRROR of GOD’S WORD: “But be 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” (Jam.1: 22-25). Whoever hears the Word of God is like a man who sees his face in a mirror. Just as a mirror reflects what we look like on the outside, God’s Word reflects what we’re like on the inside. A mirror tells it like it is.

God’s Word is like a mirror which enables us to see ourselves as we truly are. It gives a true reflection of who we are. We never truly know ourselves except in the Light of God’s Word. It exposes what’s really in our hearts – our sins, shortcomings, and areas of life where we need to repent. It's not always a pretty picture, as we often do not want to confront our hypocrisy, compromises or complacency. As we read the Bible, it may seem like someone is reading our heart. It’ll not always cheer, applaud, or flatter us. Rather, it’ll give us the accurate picture within our soul of who we truly are and our dire need for grace. But through it, God is able to do His merciful, loving work of transformation in our hearts and minds (Rom.12:2).

The Bible is God's gift to help us become increasingly like Jesus each day. When we examine ourselves in the mirror of His Word, we can see where we need to change – and allow God to re-align our hearts with His. Some Christians find it hard to believe and act in line with God’s Word because they think God reasons like a human. But God isn’t like us; we’re the ones called to be like Him; to live and act like Him. He’s made this possible through the mirror principle of the Word: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a MIRROR the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Cor. 3:18).

God wants me to see myself as how He sees me to be in His Word, and act accordingly. That’s how to do the Word! Seeing my image in the Mirror of His Word and acting accordingly is the way to live in the reality of my inheritance in Christ, and enjoy all that God has made available to me in Christ Jesus. In the Mirror of the Word, He says, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). That’s God’s image of me, which I must see, endorse, and act in accordance with, knowing that it is true. Again, He shows me in the Word that I am the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). That’s His image of me.

For many of us, in between getting out of bed, taking a shower, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, and running a comb through our hair, we often take a good hard look at our reflection in the mirror, and then take steps to change our appearance for the better. Let’s learn to do the same with our Bible, look in the mirror – spiritually speaking – and allow our Heavenly Father to show us how we can look more like His Son. Beloved, begin to use your mirror today: keep studying and listening to the Word of God, and be transfigured to become more and more like the glory you see in the Word.