TEXT: JAMES 1:22-25
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 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."
No man is meant to stand before a mirror all day long. It is only a jobless man or woman that thus stand before a standing mirror. So, it is not natural, it does not happen anywhere, for a man to permanently position himself before a mirror, gazing at his own reflection perpetually. Every man that looks into the mirror, goes away into the day for his daily business.
James says those that look into the mirror, tend to quickly forget about what they look like in the mirror once they walk away from befre it. This is the natural and normal thing that happens when a man looks at himself in the mirror. No man should be blamed for that...this is the experience of all that are born of man...all men tend to forget their reflections the momment they move away from before the mirror or put away the mirror from before them.
Hear what James says, "... For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." This is James's illustrations or description of any man who hears the word of God and does it not! He seems to be saying that the mirror represents the word of God! This hearer would look at the word of God and sees his "natural face" therein but quickly forgets what he looks like when he steps away from before the mirror.(the word.)
The word of God shows our "natural faces." Praise God! The word is not biased and prejudiced in anyway! It shows just who a man is...it tells a sinner that he is such...it shows a saint that his sins are forgiven! The true state of anything is exposed by the word of God. The "natural face" of anything and anybody, is only known in the light of the word of God.
The hearer in this passage is seen as a man who sees his true reflection in the mirror but forgets who and what he looks like after stepping away from before the mirror. So his failure to walk in the light of who he sees in the mirror, is triggered by his forgetfulness. Our inability to practice the word of God, according to James, mostly stems from forgetfulness on our part. The problem, therefore, is forgetfulness.
Whenever a man sits to study his Bible or listens to sermons, James's illustration suggests that such is before a standing mirror or looking at himself in the mirror. Whatever we see about ourselves as we study the Bible or listen to sermon, must be taken as our "natural face." Every sermon or Bible studies that does not reflect our true state is a sham and an ordinary mental exercise and nothing more.
The word has our true pictures...whatever it says about us is the final! If it says we are healed then that is who we are. The Bible never said we are sick or barren neither does it say we are failures...this is our "natural faces." Praise God!
But the common problem of many saints is forgetfulness of what they see in the word about themselves...they tend to quickly forget their "natural faces" the momment they close their Bibles or leave the church halls. After sermon, it is good a man sits back and reflects on what he saw during the service. The Bible says, wherever two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them. This shows that God always shows up anytime His name brings us together: He speaks all the time on such occasion. So in every service, so far as there is Bible reading, a man of sensitivity would see something. Anytime a man does not see again, it means something is wrong with him or with the assembly he finds himself.
A saint needs to muse over what he sees during the sermon so that same can be burnt into his memory and spirit. This is what Paul means when he says that the word of Christ should dwell in us richly. He told the Corinthians, "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you..." What to be kept in memory here is the gospel...we see in this passage that committal of what a man hears to his memory plays a vital role in his salvation: for "...ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preach unto you..." Hallelujah!
Every saint, therefore, must endeavour to divice and divine a means whereby the word of God can be strongly entrenched in his memory. The word of God is very slippery...only the careful and diligent can retain it! At this point, Paul's admonition to the Hebrews quickly comes to mind, viz: " Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."(Hebrews 2:1)
The word can slip from our memory and even from our view. How many of us take note during study and sermons? It follows that we must be of great sound mind not idiotic! A man that lacks the mental stamina to remember cannot be a doer of the word of God.
We go out of the way of truth and stoop for base things and vices because we are not such that are constantly aware of what manner of men that is seen in the word of God. In dealing with God, man and the devil, we must and should proceed only on the ground of who we know ourselves to be in the light of the mirror, the word of God.
Some saints approach God as beggars and strangers! Others see the devil as a victor! These are because of what we see of ourselves on Sunday morning during the sermon, has slipped out of our minds and spirit, so we go back into the week with no picture of who we are, with the result that we sin and fall for many underhanded transactions.
The picture of ourselves is the most potent weapon for the challenges of the day. With it we have speed and the strength to combat any discouragement. Ezekiel 51:20-22, illustrates this weapon:
" Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war:
for with thee will I break in pieces the nations,
and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
And with thee will I break in pieces the horse
and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces
the chariot and his rider; With thee also will I break
in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in
pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;"
This battle axe represents the picture we see and remember about ourselves...they serve as our weapons against the lies of the devil.
Friends, life is all about pictures! What a man pictures becomes his future! A man that forgets the picture he sees yesterday, forfeits the contents of same. Let us therefore not be forgetful of the word of God.To be continued.