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James 1:23-25 - The Mirror of God's Law.

James 1:23-25 (NLT) For if you listen to the 
word and dont obey, it is like glancing at 
your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk 
away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you 
look carefully into the perfect law that sets you 
free, and if you do what it says and dont 
forget what you heard, then God will bless you for 
doing it. 

COMMENTARY SUPREME

   Will I learn what God intends? If I 
listen, I will. A little girl returned from her 
first day at school. Her mom asked, Did you 
learn anything? I guess not, the girl 
responded. I have to go back tomorrow and the next 
day and the next day... 
   Such is the case with learning. And such 
is the case with Bible study. 
   Understanding comes a little at a time 
over a lifetime. James said: The man who looks 
into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and 
makes a habit of doing so is not the man who hears 
and forgets. He puts that law into practice and 
wins true happiness. (James 1:25). 
   The Bible is not a newspaper to be 
skimmed but rather a mine to be quarried. Proverbs 
2:4 says to search for it like silver, and 
hunt for it like hidden treasure. 
   And we need to do it today, and the next 
day, and the next From Just Like Jesus by Max 
Lucado  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   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. 
   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. 
[Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie] 

COMMENTARY

   The Bible is Gods Word to you. Did you 
know that it contains thousands and thousands of 
promises? Can you name one of them? If you cant, 
then how in the world can you claim the promise? 
If you have an insurance policy but you dont 
know what it covers, then you wont know what 
you can claim if you have an accident. 
   Gods Word is the policy on your life, 
and if you dont ever read it, you dont 
know what God has promised to do in your life. 
When you dont know what God has offered to do 
if youll trust him, its inevitable that 
youll be stressed out and worried. 
   The Bible says in James 1:25, If you 
look carefully into the perfect law that sets you 
free, and if you do what it says and dont 
forget what you heard, then God will bless you for 
doing it (NLT). 
   Do you want to be stressed, or do you 
want to be blessed? 
   The key to being blessed is to read, 
study, and remember Gods Word, and then you do 
what it says. The more you obey, the more you 
will be blessed. 
   Oh, the joys of those who do not 
follow evil mens advice, who do not hang around 
with sinners, scoffing at the things of God. But 
they delight in doing everything God wants them 
to, and day and night are always meditating on 
his laws and thinking about ways to follow him 
more closely. They are like trees along a 
riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without 
fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all 
they do shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3 TLB). 
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

Why God Speaks
   God is not one to speak in generalities. 
When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or 
confronts through a friend's words, the Father 
directly addresses issues in His children's lives. 
With that in mind, let's look at His three goals 
for communicating with believers - namely, for 
us to: 
   1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to 
learn His ways and principles, to recognize our 
own frailty, and to identify the needs of 
others. He does more than offer this as head 
knowledge - He makes truth applicable to our lives. 
For example, the Lord assured Paul that His 
strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through 
anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the 
apostle that God's Word was true. 
   2. Conform to the truth. Our lives are 
shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true 
influences our thinking. In turn, how we think affects 
our character, conduct, and conversation. God is 
determined to mold His children into Christlikeness so 
that they reflect His gospel to the world. 
   3. Communicate the truth. Every child of 
God is called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). 
Believers can know the Lord and walk in His light but 
still fall short of this expectation. We must 
share the gospel by sharing God's truth with 
others and explaining how His words played out in 
our lives. 
   Notice that each goal builds on the one 
preceding it. Christians are a light reflecting God's 
glory to this world. We shine brightly by being 
attentive to God's voice and following His will. And 
when someone takes an interest in the source of 
our light, we are prepared to share the good 
news of Christ. [In Touch Daily Devotional by 
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org] 

ILLUSTRATION

The Law That Liberates
   One afternoon, A brightly colored little 
bird landed in my backyard. My German Shepherd 
was a few feet away, and I knew the moment he 
saw that bird, it would become an appetizer for 
him. So I went over to the bird and bent down. It 
was shaking, with its feathers fluffed. When I 
held out my finger, the little bird hopped on. 
   I walked into the house and said to my 
wife, "Cathe, look at this little bird." She 
turned around to see it perched on my finger. 
   "Where did you get that?"
   "Our backyard."
   "It must be someone's pet."
   "Yeah, but I don't know who it belongs 
to." 
   Just then, my son Jonathan walked in. He 
told us about a girl down the street who had a 
bird that died. He offered to run and get the 
cage. When he brought it back, we put it on the 
kitchen counter, opened the door, and placed the 
bird inside. The bird, which had stayed frozen on 
my finger all this time, suddenly came alive. 
He started chirping and hopping from perch to 
perch. His feathers smoothed down. It was obvious 
that he liked his new surroundings. Then it 
dawned on me: what we saw as a means to contain 
this little bird was, from his standpoint, a 
means of security and protection. 
   In the same way, God gives us His law. He 
gives us His standards. While we might see them as 
restrictive, they are, in reality, our source of 
protection. This is "the perfect law of liberty" that 
James is speaking of. [Every Day with Jesus by 
Greg Laurie] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

Gods Word: What You Believe, You Do
   Many people know the Bible, but in order 
to be blessed by it, we need to do what it 
says. 
   You act on what you believe, meaning your 
behavior and attitudes are a reflection of what you 
think is true. So think about it this way: The 
only parts of the Bible you truly believe are the 
parts you put into practice. 
   If what you say you believe doesnt 
change how you live your life, then you probably 
dont really believe it. Thats why when you 
have a difficult decision to make, you need to 
remember: Gods way is perfect. All the LORDs 
promises prove true   (2 Samuel 22:31 NLT). 
When you follow Gods Word and do things his 
way, youll be able to do the right thing at 
the right time. 
   Now, in order to put Gods Word into 
practice, you need to know it. That means you cant 
just skim through the Bible and hope something 
sticks. You need to make time for Bible study every 
day. 
   There are many ways for you to learn 
Gods Word. For instance, you can write Bible 
verses on cards and put them in places where 
youll see them throughout the day. You can gather 
verses into your heart by memorizing them, or you 
can listen to Scripture on your cell phone. 
   It doesnt matter what methods you use 
to learn Gods Word. The important thing is 
that youre studying, memorizing, and applying 
it to your life. When you do that, youll 
experience a freedom that cannot be diminished by the 
problems and challenges we face today. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

James 1:22 - Living the Word:

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200421-0954.html 

John 13:17 - Humble Obedience Brings 
Blessing: 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100523-1019.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David 
DeRose, MD, MPH: 
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides: 
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE 

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
https://www.revelationnow.com/ 

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657