Take A Look In The Mirror

Why is it that we can hear the truth, agree with it, even be moved by it — and change absolutely nothing? Week 2 of Street Smart takes us further into James 1, where the call shifts from what we believe to what we do.

James tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger — because human anger doesn't accomplish God's righteousness. And if our own effort can't produce that righteousness in us, we're pointed to what actually can: humbly receiving the word God has already implanted in us, able to save our souls.

But hearing isn't the finish line. James warns that a hearer who isn't a doer is like someone who looks in a mirror, walks away, and immediately forgets what he saw. So this week we run three tests in front of that mirror: the Coat Test (what are you still wearing that should have come off years ago?), the Soil Test (you don't grow what you like — you grow what you plant, so what's actually growing in your life?), and the Mirror Test (the last time God clearly showed you something, what did you actually do about it?).

Uncommon wisdom doesn't stop at agreement. It shows up in what we do next.