James 1:23-24
For 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.
I love the way James writes, but I’m not too sure he would make easy company! He is so incredibly blunt.
Here he makes the obvious but powerful point that there would be no use in looking in a mirror if it didn’t cause you to do something as a result. If you learn that your hair looks a complete mess, then action is required! If the Christian faith doesn’t get translated into daily action, James wants nothing to do with it.
Reading the Bible is not like reading any other book. Other books might be entertaining, interesting or informative but they rarely change our lives. But the Bible is one of the principal ways in which God has chosen to speak to us. So whenever we read it, we need to ask: “Lord what are you saying to me?”
If we merely read the Bible as a beautiful work of literature, we are missing the point.
In Psalm 1, the writer speaks of meditating regularly on God’s word. He says that those who do this “are like trees planted along a riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.”
By reflecting deeply on the Bible, we allow God’s wisdom to enter into our ways of thinking and acting. Every part of our lives cries out for God’s wisdom – whether that is our employment, relationships, possessions, leisure time or future. God has something to say and longs for us to listen.
The psalmist only had access to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. We are far more blessed because we have a further 61 books to meditate on. But they won’t do us any good unless we listen to what God is saying and then adjust our lives as a result.
Question – What actions are you going to take as a result of reading the Bible today?
Prayer – Lord, help me to listen carefully to the Bible. I invite your Holy Spirit to challenge and inspire me to live more closely to you each day. Amen

Released on 26 Feb 2024