“Don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (James 1:22-25).

With all of the time we spend in front of the mirror (inspecting pimples, pulling out gray hairs, plucking eyebrows) the idea of walking away and forgetting what we look like sounds pretty ridiculous. Yet, James is saying that is exactly what we do when we merely hear the word, but do not do what it says. The mirror of Scripture helps us to see our true selves. It helps us to discover the “spots” that are our sin. He is saying we should not deceive ourselves into thinking that hearing is all we need.

When we hear the Word, at church or in our own reading and Bible study, are we allowing ourselves to walk away and forget what we’ve just heard? What are we doing with what we’ve heard? Are we applying the remedy that will wipe those spots away? Imagine what the world would be like if we were all hearers only . . . powerless, without influence, without impact. Surely, God has given us His Word to take and use for Him.

The last part of this verse gives us a promise. The one who does not forget what he has heard, but does it, will be blessed in what he does. We are not blessed for what we do, but in what we do. Psalm 1:1-3 says that he who delights in the law of the Lord is “like a tree planted by streams of water . . . whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Take a good long look into the mirror of scripture. Hear what it has for you, Do what it says, and Watch for the blessings He brings.

—Submitted by Leah Swanson, US