This post is Day 15 in a series of studies about “Remembering”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Remembering – Day 15

At first glance this comparison of forgetting what we look like seems crazy! Who could possibly forget what they themselves look like? That is the point James is making here. It is really about the difference between hearing and listening! Do we always remember what we read in the Bible?

James 1:23-25

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.

The Thought

At first glance this comparison of forgetting what we look like seems crazy! Who could possibly forget what they themselves look like? That is James’s point here. It is really about the difference between hearing and listening! Many of us have sat in a school classroom sometime in the past and heard what a teacher was saying, without really listening! Consequently we had difficulty answering the questions in an exam!

The question for us is, when we read the Bible, do we remember what we read? When we feel tempted, do we give in to the pressure, or remember God’s word?

Maybe for students or children, it’s a question of right and wrong, but for us as adults, “mature in the faith” how well do we score on the subject of obedience? Are we striving to obey God’s word?

When we are faced with a challenge, do we remember that God said Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)? When we are afraid, can we quote to ourselves some of the 80+ verses that tell us not to fear?

Action

Look for some of those verses today and remind yourself of them as you go through your day. Ask God to show you what scares you, and where that fear comes from. Often our fears come from bad experiences early in life, leaving a long lasting scar on our spirits. God can heal those scars if we allow Him to.

Learn Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil!”

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