August 26, 2023
Daily Devotion:
"The Perfect Law"
James 1:23-25
New International Version
23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what
he looks like. 25 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.
A perfect mirror allows us not only to look at our reflection but also to see accurately. To see ourselves as God does, James says we need the “perfect law,” which is another name for God’s Word. And the reflection of ourselves we see in the Bible is perfect in the sense that it is complete—the Word misses nothing. The insights we gain can prepare us to live in greater faithfulness. Because hearing or knowing what the Bible says is not our final goal, we need to go beyond simply looking at it.
The mirror of the Word doesn’t just show us how we look.
It reminds us how we ought to look by revealing gaps in our obedience. If we act on those gaps, letting Scripture disciple us to live in loving submission to Jesus, we can become what
James calls a “doer.” And the result? We will be blessed as we do all God has asked of us.
