Our Natural Image~

James 1:23-27~

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. I think a vast majority of Christians today find themselves looking intently into life's mirror and they see themselves in their selfishness, but refuse to accept the tattered image before them. Many of us don't want to change, because that means straying from life's cliques and doing away with society's ways. May I remind you that Christ called us to count up the cost, drop everything, and follow him in faithful pursuit? Christ is the only one who's natural reflection portrays perfection. The rest of us should desire to exemplify even a mere fragment of this image. Our goals should pertain to being more focused doers, rather than just hearers, and the holiday is the perfect time to take action. Raise money for your favorite charity. Go caroling. Make an extra special surprise for your loved one. The writer of James, and ultimately God, make it clear that we should seek to remain unstained from the world. Christianity isn't just group or a label; it's even more than a lifestyle. It's what life is all about. And something with that high of a standing on life's spectrum deserves our everything.