What is one of the last things you do before you walk out of your home? I take a quick look in the mirror to make sure I do not have a blueberry seed in my teeth, or a piece of hair is not out of place. If I do have something in my teeth or a rogue strand of hair out of place, I quickly take care of the situation. That is the purpose of mirrors, right? We look into mirrors so that we can evaluate ourselves and make any adjustments. In the same way, the Bible teaches that it can be a mirror for us. We can look to Scripture to examine ourselves and make necessary changes with the help of God.
In our Bible study yesterday, we saw that James wrote about the futility of looking at Scripture without actually doing what it says. James continued this teaching with good news. "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" (verse 25). James made it clear: looking at Scripture, remembering it, and doing what it says leads to blessings from God.
The blessings that God provides when we read and obey the Bible are not necessarily the material or physical blessings that we might immediately think of. Just because we read and obey Scripture, we cannot expect a new car, good health, financial or career success, or other similar things. We are blessed through obeying God's Word first and foremost by walking in a way that honors God. There is a lot of peace and joy that comes from living a lifestyle that honors God. Secondly, there is a lot of sin and hard situations that we can avoid by obeying Scripture. We will also be more spiritually healthy and mature people by obeying Scripture. These are just some of the blessings that God provides when we read and follow His Word!
Interestingly, James compares reading the Bible to looking at a mirror. After all, one of the purposes of studying it is to examine ourselves. We are to read, look at our own lives, and live differently due to reading. The type of reflection is a vital aspect of applying Scripture. When we look at our lives in light of Scripture, we become aware of ways we might need to live differently and how we can align our lives. If we follow through, we will experience His blessings!
One way we can examine ourselves is to see what Scripture teaches through the lens of our relationships with God, with others, and with ourselves. In other words, one way to apply Scripture is to ask, "What does this Scripture I have read teach about my relationship with God, with others, and with myself?" This question can help us apply Scripture to our lives by adjusting how we relate to God, others, and even ourselves. Write these questions down on a notecard and keep them in your Bible. Pull out this notecard when you study Scripture as a way to evaluate your own life in light of Scripture.
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.
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
My dear brothers and sisters,[a] how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting[b] dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name[c] you bear?
Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
