A QUICK MIRROR CHECK!

A QUICK MIRROR CHECK!

James 1:22-25

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

          Merriam-Webster offers a no salt and no pepper definition of “worldliness.” It is blandly defined as: “of, relating to, or devoted to this world and its pursuits rather than to religion or spiritual affairs.” Even Webster understands worldliness to mean that the religious devotee has slipped a bit in his or her devotion.

          Worldliness happens so subtly that we don’t always notice when it happens to us. It’s like the mix and mingle time after a formal dinner when we smile broadly revealing a bit of spinach lodged in our teeth. We need a quick mirror check! That mirror is the “perfect law of liberty.” We think of law as restrictive, demanding and punishing to those who break it but the idea of a law of liberty is a bit confusing because it is self-contradictory.

          The law demands that we maintain a rigid relationship with it but liberty requires that we maintain a constant relationship to the lawgiver. There is a vast difference in the way those two play out. The Greek word translated “liberty” is eleutheria and refers to that which is morally or ceremonially legitimate. The word is liberty and not libertarian or libertine.

          Liberty urges us to follow that which is morally and ceremonially legitimate. To do that one must regularly and carefully do a quick mirror check. Questions of morality and practice abound within this thing we call liberty. Standards of conduct must be measured by God’s standards as outlined in his perfect law. It requires courage, diligence and discernment. What is worldly and what is not? Do we have an occasional alcoholic beverage or do we forego drinking altogether? Should our swimsuit be one piece or two piece? What about a bikini? Should I even go near a pool? All these questions, and a thousand more, require a quick mirror check.

“Conformity is one of the most fundamental dishonesties of all. When we reject our specialness, water down our God-given individuality and uniqueness, we begin to lose our freedom. The conformist is in no way a free man. He has to follow the herd.” Norman Vincent Peale (1898- )

          Without the mirror we first become casual and then careless in our choices. Ultimately we blend in with the world by assuming their fashions, their opinions and their morals. A quick mirror check allows us to work in the midst of the world without becoming worldly.  

Dear Father, help me to understand that the liberty you bought with your obedience and sacrifice requires me to live responsibly. AMEN