The Mirror of God’s Law

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 1:23-25

Some people really like mirrors. They are always looking in them. When they are driving along, they have their rearview mirror pointed at themselves instead of the road behind them. If they are in a restaurant that has a mirror on the wall, they want to be seated across from it so they can look at themselves. They never miss an opportunity to catch a quick glance at themselves if a mirror is nearby. On the other hand, some of us don’t like mirrors that much. In fact, we have come to dislike mirrors, especially first thing in the morning.

Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Greg is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA and is the host of the daily radio program, “A New Beginning”. Daily devotionals can be received via e-mail by subscribing at www.harvest.org.

A mirror reflects your image, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, imagine that you’re leaving a restaurant on your way back to work, and you notice everyone is smiling at you. You think, I’m feeling good! Everyone loves me. Then you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror, and you find out why they’re smiling. You didn’t just eat your lunch — you’re wearing it. A piece of pasta is affixed to your chin, marinara sauce and all. It’s embarrassing. But better that you saw it in the mirror and dealt with the problem than spend the rest of the day with that noodle on your chin. The mirror showed you something about yourself that needed to be fixed.

In the same way, the law of God is like a moral mirror. When we look in the mirror of God’s law, we see that major changes need to take place. We also realize that we can’t keep things as they were. So that mirror drives us to Jesus.

Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Greg is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA and is the host of the daily radio program, “A New Beginning”. Daily devotionals can be received via e-mail by subscribing at www.harvest.org.