FirstFruits~Mirrors of Faith

Hello lovely readers and followers! Welcome to Part 4 of the FirstFruits series, which is the last part of our adventure together in James 1.

Recently I went to a youth convention with the youth group I help lead. It was awesome–over a thousand students worshiping Jesus together and hearing some powerful preaching! It really made an impact on my life as well. One of the speakers who preached (I don’t know why I didn’t write down his name) said something that really inspired me, and I think it goes really well with today’s post.

Are we going to spend our life looking in a mirror or walking out the door?

This is basically asking us if we are going to spend our lives focusing on ourselves and our wants, or are we going to go out and love people and tell them about Jesus? Are we going to be focusing on our glory or God’s?

James actually asks the same question in verses 22-25.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does (James 1:23-25 NKJV). 

We can read the Bible from cover to cover and listen to sermons all day, but what does it mean if we don’t apply it to our lives? What does it all mean if we don’t spend time with God and His beloved children? What does it all mean if we don’t live out the faith we claim to have?

I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad. This was a huge wake up call for me too. Life gets busy with school, work, social media, and other distractions. We live in a “me” culture that teaches us to serve ourselves above all else.

But you and I can fix this. We can be the change this world is so desperately craving. If you want to make a difference, commit yourself to being a “doer” of the Word. Walk out your faith by following the footsteps of Jesus. We need to constantly abide in our Heavenly Father and seek His Holy Spirit for empowerment and guidance.

We need to look for opportunities to love and serve others. We need to build relationships with non-Christians to show them the way to God. It may not always be easy, but it’s worth it to save souls.

Above all, we need to remember that Jesus died for us so we can live for Him.

I hope you liked this series! I think that James 1 is such a powerful chapter on overcoming trials, keeping our hearts focused on Christ, remembering our identity, and walking out our faith.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment and share 🙂

Missed Part 3 of the FirstFruits series? Click here!

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