Most people want to check a mirror before they head out for the day. We want to make sure our hair is properly combed, and that we don’t have any remnants of our last meal on our face! Sometimes if we’re too rushed, we end up regretting that we didn’t take the time to check the mirror as we missed a button, or a seam has come open. The purpose of the mirror is so that we correct anything wrong we see. It serves no purpose if we don’t notice what’s wrong and correct it. This is one of several important lessons James tells us in our Scripture for today.
James begins our Scripture passage today with a reminder to us that every good thing that we have comes from God (vs. 17). Many people like to believe that the good things they have come from their own hard work. They brag about their nice house, or their beautiful garden, and how their hard work and labor brought them about. Even their health. Oh how hard they work out at the gym, and now, look at how healthy they are! However, that’s not really true. God is the source of every good thing we have. When we acknowledge His role in our blessings, we develop the best defense against pride. We have humble dependence on Him. God’s work is life-giving, healing, and uplifting. Everything that steals, kills, and destroys is the work of the devil (John 10:10).
We continue on as James warns us about being quick to speak and quick to anger (vs. 19-20). We are wise to be careful about what we say, or how much we say in certain situations. It makes very good sense to guard our words when we are angry. Difficult situations require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames more angry talk. Anger also distracts us from listening to God. Most of us talk way too much, and listen far too little, so it is wise to frequently put the reins on our tendency to talk, talk, talk. Try being a thoughtful listener more often. Restraining our words also shows a reverence for God (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
James continues on, telling us that when we find something wrong in our life, we need to make needed changes (vs. 22-25). How many of us might hear a sermon message or read something in the Bible which then strikes some conviction in us. We feel like the message is meant for us, yet then later, after the message, we quickly forget what we’ve heard. We don’t act upon what we’ve heard or read in the Bible. Unless Christians act promptly after they hear the convicting Word of God, they will forget the changes and improvements that the Holy Spirit indicated they need to make.
God’s Word, the Bible, makes the comparison with looking in the mirror, seeing something we should fix, yet walking away and doing nothing. No sensible person would do that. It is important to listen to God’s Word, but even more important to act upon what we hear, and put it into practice. If we hear God’s Word without taking action, we only fool ourselves. When we examine ourselves in light of God’s Word, and obey His instructions, God liberates us from all that keeps us from looking like Him.
James proceeds to jump back to another word about our speech (vs. 26). He talks about people who feel they are religious, good Christians, yet their speech is something else. He describes it as having an unbridled tongue. An unbridled horse can run wild, all over the place. They will jump and kick, and for everyone’s safety, they need to be brought under control. The same goes for our tongue. Someone whose words are out of control, yet claim to be religious, are hypocrites, and James says their religious acts are useless.
Our passage closes with a description of what true religious acts should look like (vs. 27). James mentions helping those who are in need, particularly those who can’t help themselves, like the widows and orphans, and to keep ourselves unspotted by the world. A Christian should reflect Jesus’s loving, compassionate character in our behavior, especially to the most helpless in our society. To keep ourselves from being polluted by the world we need to commit ourselves to Christ’s teachings, not the world’s. We are not to adapt to the world’s value system. A religious facade means nothing if we are contaminated with such values.
In closing, we see that we need to trust in God, and obey what we read and hear from His Word, the Bible. As the old-time hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
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