Devotional: The Spiritual Mirror
“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.”
James 1:22-25
When we look in the mirror, we see exactly what we look like. If our hair is messy, we’ll brush it. If we have eye crust, we take it off. If we have snot in our nose, we get rid of it. We act accordingly to what we see. Additionally, we identify with the immutable physical characteristics we have. For example, I am a woman who has long blonde hair with green eyes.
It would be senseless for me to look in the mirror and see unkempt hair, crusty eyes, and snot in my nose and then do nothing about it. It would also be senseless to see what I look like and then claim that I am a brunette man with short hair and brown eyes.
James uses the analogy of looking into a mirror to “reflect” the idea of knowing who we are as believers in Christ. When we become a believer, we receive a whole new identity.
Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we are a new creation when we are in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 re-iterates this truth by saying, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Because this is true, we should act accordingly. It would be senseless to live again for sin and act in our old ways because being a slave to sin is not our identity anymore!
When we look in the spiritual mirror, we don’t see ourselves anymore. We see Christ because His righteousness has covered us, but oftentimes, we “forget” what we see and do not live accordingly.
All-in-all, James is reminding his readers (who are believers) of their identity and what it means to walk in the law of liberty and not by the old nature of the flesh. Paul adds to what James is saying in Galatians 5:13: “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Almost every writer of the epistles in the New Testament typically provides some type of warning or reminder to their readers about who they are now, as Christians. These warnings aren’t to tell them that their identity might be revoked if they sin; instead, these warnings exist because sinning reaps fruitlessness, destruction, grieving of God’s heart, and loss of heavenly rewards.
On the contrary, James says, “The one who looks into the law of liberty and continues in it… will be blessed in what he does.” When we walk in our new identity, God pours out blessings in our lives, not destruction that results from walking opposed to our identity.
Take a moment: Do you truly recognize your identity in Christ?
Examine your actions, reactions, and decisions over the past couple of days.
Ask yourself– Did they line up with who I am as a new creation in Christ?
Pray for wisdom in areas where you need His strength to act according to your new identity.
Continue reading the Bible daily to understand the heart of Christ, which is the core of who you are now!
Lastly, stop focusing on your sin, but focus on the mercy and grace of Jesus who died in your place! This is how true transformation occurs and what it means to live by faith.
-Alina