Let’s Dance: Leading My Actions – Tuesday
James 1:22-25
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do.” (NIV)
I hate mirrors. You see, in my mind, I’m taller than I am, thinner than I am, more muscular than I am, younger than I am, and much more handsome than I am. I also think I’m richer but that has nothing to do with mirrors. But as soon as I step in front of a mirror, the truth comes out. As I look at myself, I want to go back to my fantasy world where I’m a little more perfect than I actually am. Did I mention that I hate mirrors?
Scripture kind of does the same thing as the mirrors in my house. It shows us what we really look like, but it also gives us a glimpse of what we could look like. So that more perfect version of myself I want to see before I look in the mirror, I can actually see when I look at the Bible. The only catch is that we have to follow what it says. All over scripture, it gives us little hints as to how God wants us to behave. Such as Phillippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.” Or 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Or even James 2:17 “In the same way, Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
God has a plan for our lives. It includes our growth and our actions. Our Mission to Love God and Love People is demonstrated in our ability to follow what God has asked us to do in his Word, to treat others as He has commanded, and to Love Jesus and worship Him in the way He wants us to love and worship Him. He promises to bless us as we not only read His Word but follow what it says.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Re-read today’s scripture in James 1. As you read ask yourself “What is God trying to tell me?” And “What do I need to change in order to do it?” Now go and actually make those changes!