Read James 1:19–25
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” — James 1:23–24
James is writing to Christian Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire who are experiencing trials and who, during these trials, are following the worldly practices of those around them instead of putting God’s Word into practice. And so, throughout his letter, James makes the point that it’s not enough to hear God’s Word. We have to do what it says.
Here, James compares someone who hears the Word and doesn’t do what it says to a person who examines himself in a mirror but then walks away and forgets what he looks like. The analogy almost seems ludicrous. How can you look closely at yourself to see how you really look and then walk away and forget? But that’s the point that James is trying to make. Do you examine yourself in the mirror in the morning, checking to make sure your hair isn’t sticking up straight, or you don’t have anything in your teeth? In this process, if you noticed a giant smudge on your face, would you walk away and forget about it? Just as it would be foolish to walk away and do nothing about a smudge on your face–to forget what you look like–it is foolish after examining God’s Word to walk away and not obey it.
Like a mirror, God’s Word shows us what we’re really like. Without his Word, it’s easy to deceive ourselves into thinking we’re something we’re not, to ignore our weaknesses, and make excuses for our sin, especially when we’re in the midst of challenging circumstances like James’ audience. But this isn’t possible when we hold up God’s Word to our life. When we examine our lives by the truth of God’s Word, we see what we’re really like, and we’re met with God’s grace and mercy to repent and be transformed.
We need to investigate God’s Word so that it can show us who we really are, but we can’t stop there. We then need to walk away and put God’s Word into practice.
Reflect:
1. How have you seen God’s grace and mercy at work in your life?
2. Are there areas where you have been hesitant to put God’s Word into practice? Take a moment to praise him for his love and mercy toward you.
Pray:
“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” — James 1:23–24
As I read your Word, O Lord, I trust that you will show me what I am like and what you are making me to be. Search my heart and reveal where and how I need to put your Word into practice in my life. Grant me the humility to do what your Word says as a faith response to your free gift of salvation. Holy Spirit, thank you for your power that helps me obey, changes my heart, and directs my steps. In Jesus’ name, amen.
GOD’S WORD REVEALS WHO WE ARE.
Day 3
The Word Is a Mirror
James 1:19–25, Romans 2:13
Why Abide?
Every Nation has always placed a high premium on the power, truthfulness, and benefit of Scripture. God reveals himself to us through his Word, by which he transforms and empowers us. In 2022, we’re calling everyone to a renewed commitment to read, understand, believe, and obey God’s Word. Thus, our 2022 consecration devotional material will focus on metaphors that refer to the Word.
Introduction
Deuteronomy 8, Matthew 4:3–4, Luke 4:1–4, John 4:34
Read Deuteronomy 8:1–20 “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” — Deuteronomy 8:3 Bread was central to the diet of the ancient Near East. Even today, many cultures have a bread that is unique and prevalent to their diets. There is the crunchy baguette in France, the unleavened roti in India, the spongy injera in Ethiopia, the thin tortilla in Mexico, and the soft pandesal in the Philippines. But in Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses declares that man doesn’t live by bread alone. While the Israelites were in the wilderness, God provided for them by raining down manna, a bread-like food, from heaven. Now, as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, a land of plenty, Moses takes time to remind the people who fed them in the wilderness. And even though they will no longer need bread to rain down from heaven in the new place they are going, their dependence on God remains the same. It is in trusting and obeying God’s Word that they will live and thrive in the land. They need his Word like they need bread to survive. In the same way, our dependence on God’s Word should be like our reliance on bread. Each day of this fast, our bodies will crave more and more the nourishment that bread provides. But it is this craving, this almost all-consuming awareness of our need for food, that this metaphor of God’s Word as bread becomes all the more relevant to us. Just as our bodies crave bread, we should crave God’s Word, living in constant awareness of our need for him and his words every day. In fact, we learn in John’s gospel that Jesus himself is the very Word of God. He calls himself the “bread of life,” promising that whoever comes to him will never hunger or thirst. When we come before him and fill ourselves with God’s Word, we can receive his salvation and be truly fulfilled. God’s Word is true. God’s Word is powerful. And it is through God’s Word that he reveals himself to us, and we are transformed and empowered to live for him. As we go into a week of prayer and fasting and our hunger for bread grows day by day, may our appetite for God’s Word grow even more. Reflect: 1. Think of a situation when you had to depend on God. Give him thanks for sustaining you through it. 2. What verse or passage has kept you encouraged this past year? Take time to praise God for his Word being trustworthy and powerful in your life. Pray: “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” — Deuteronomy 8:3 God, thank you for the gift of the Bible. Through your Word, you speak to me and remind me that you are for me. You show your everlasting character, and I learn to hear your voice as I read and meditate on scripture. Lord, help me build a daily desire to abide in your Word, a desire that would grow throughout my walk with you. Your Word nourishes my spirit and fulfills my heart. As I pray, fast, and consecrate myself to you this week, may my understanding and love for you grow as I draw nearer to you. In Jesus’ name, amen. GOD’S WORD SUSTAINS US.
Day 1
1 Peter 1:13–25, Mark 4:3–9, Mark 4:13–20
Read 1 Peter 1:13–25 “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God . . .” — 1 Peter 1:23 In this verse, Peter tells us that it is through the imperishable seed of the Word of God that we have been born again. What does he mean by this? In God’s Word, we find the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ to save us. And it is through the good news found in God’s Word that one is born again. But God doesn’t just uncover his plan of salvation through his Word. He reveals his very self to us. That’s why Peter calls it the living and abiding Word. Peter compares the Word of God to an imperishable seed. What’s interesting about a seed is that it’s dry and dull with little evidence of life before you plant it. But once it’s in the proper condition, planted in damp and nutrient-rich soil, life bursts forth from it as we eagerly wait above the surface for those signs of life to appear. Just like a seed needs to be planted in the proper condition for life to spring forth, God’s Word is waiting to be planted in the good soil of a believing heart. And then, by the Holy Spirit, his Word will germinate, take root, and grow, bringing life and beauty to whatever it touches. When we open up the living and abiding Word of God, we encounter the God of the universe, the one who created all things and is making all things new. And when we meet him, our lives can’t help but be transformed. There may be areas of your life that have felt dry. Maybe your love for the lost has waned, or your passion for God’s mission has been quenched. God’s living and abiding Word will never lose its power to touch every dull, dry, and dead area of your life, causing it to burst forth with new life that is lasting and eternal. And as his Word touches and transforms our lives, we can’t help but sow this imperishable seed, sharing the good news of what Jesus has done to save us, wherever we go. Reflect: 1. Think about when you first heard the gospel. Did someone share it with you? Reflect on that moment, thanking God for his salvation. 2. Since the Word is living and abiding, what are some areas of your life it can renew this week? Pray: “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God . . .” — 1 Peter 1:23 God, I believe that your Word is an imperishable seed that can renew every area of my life. I can bring my brokenness, confusion, and insecurities before you, knowing that you make me whole, confident, and secure through the seed of your Word. You have brought me from death to life and are faithful to finish the good work you began in me. Lord, I pray that you will continue to change my life to reflect your love to others around me. Because of your Word that you’ve planted in me, I can be bold to share your gospel wherever I go. Amen. GOD’S WORD MAKES ALL THINGS NEW.