“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 way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” James 1:23-24 (NKJV)

There was once a time when it could be believed that a picture was worth a thousand words. It was further believed that pictures didn’t lie and that if it fit into the lens of a camera it was truth. Enter the age of technology and pictures can now be manipulated in ways that are often scandalous, shameful, and wreaked with sin. Pictures can no longer be counted on to provide true and accurate images of their subjects. Mirrors tend to be much more reliable in displaying what it sees and captures as real. Well for the most part, unless you visit the House of Mirrors at the annual county fair or make a trip to the amusement park. When we look into the mirror and observe the natural man, what we see is generally what we will get.

James, the brother of Jesus, uses the illustration of the mirror to convey the contrast between those who hear the word of God and those who not only hear the word but do what the word says. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 (NKJV) Those who hear only are compared to individuals who observe their natural reflection in a mirror but “immediately” forget the truth of what was revealed. You may call it willful denial, not wanting to face reality, or just simply a failure to acknowledge the truth of the revelation. Not only is there a failure to do what the word prescribes, but even more tragic is the fact that one refuses to be accountable for what the mirror has revealed.

This same illustration is used in contrast to describe the ministry of the mirror when it is likened to the word of God. James does not literally describe the word of God as a mirror, but the implication is quite clear. “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 1:25 (NKJV) The mirror of the word of God not only provides revelation, but it also provides an incorruptible standard by which we can properly determine where we are in our relationship with Him. It doesn’t lie. It cannot be manipulated. And it does not change to fit our personal requirements. The mirror of the word of God casts a spiritual reflection of our position and passion relative to obeying its commands.

So we are to “gaze” into the mirror of God’s word, to see both ourselves and our Savior, and to catch a vision of what we are and what we ought to be. It can become a defining moment in our life striking a delicate balance between discerning and doing. When we look into the “perfect law of liberty” it has the power to set us free. The ministry of the mirror of the word of God provides us with undeniable and irrefutable evidence of who we really are. You may not like what you see at first but if you stay there a while the mirror will help to change your life forever. As we look into the mirror it literally means that we “stoop down to look.” It is the idea of looking at something more closely. If we continue to look with intensity and intent to become what the word says that we are we will soon be blessed in what we do and what we will become. “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.” II Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)