Summer of Depth Devotional Day 58

Today is Day 58 of our Summer of Depth Devotional and Reading Plan.

Most of us don't look in a mirror just for the experience of looking in a mirror. We look because we want to know if something needs attention. Is my hair sticking up? Is there something in my teeth? Did I somehow get toothpaste on my shirt?

James says God's Word can become a little like that to us.

Let's dive deep into His Word.

Before anything else, slow down and read: James 1:19-25.

James says that someone who hears God's Word but doesn't do what it says is like a person who “looks at his face in a mirror” and then walks away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

The mirror isn't creating anything. It's simply showing you what's already there.

And that's part of what we've been talking about all week. We come to Scripture and ask God to open our eyes. We let His Word speak into our real lives. We allow it to show us things about God, about the world, and sometimes about ourselves that we haven't been able or willing to see.

But James takes us one step further.

What are we going to do about what we see?

It's possible to read something Jesus says about forgiveness, recognize the bitterness we're carrying, and close the Bible without forgiving anyone.

It's possible to read about generosity, feel convicted about how tightly we're holding what we have, and never actually become more generous.

We can even underline the verse that challenged us, talk about it with someone, and still walk away unchanged.

James says the person who is blessed is the one who “looks intently” into God's Word, continues in it, and actually does what it says.

That's an important part of Eat This Book. We aren't reading Scripture just to finish a chapter or learn something interesting. We're giving God permission to form the way we actually live.

Sometimes that formation begins with one very small act of obedience.

Practice:

Think back over what you've read in Scripture recently and ask:

“God, is there something You've already shown me that I haven't acted on yet?”

If something comes to mind, choose one concrete way to respond today.

Don't just look in the mirror and walk away.