James 1:23-24

New International Version

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

For Meditation

I hear the receding footsteps of the past year. I see the blurring of the dark hues of disobedience that people have accepted in our time. 

The voice of the Lord boomed through the Christmas season and melted our hearts. As the joy faded and the new year stood to welcome us, we reflected on our lives. We saw the trail of our ugly mess—disobedience, unforgiveness, stubbornness, moral failures, glorified fleshly desires and ambitions, greed, and selfishness. We sobbed, repented, and asked for grace to renew our hearts and minds in Christ — to do better in 2023.

Euphoria filled the air on the night of Saturday, the 31st. The joy of leaving the past troubles and the anxious expectation of something better in the coming year ruled everywhere—in churches, homes, and public squares. Graciously, the Lord led us across the threshold and into this brand-new year.

I can still hear shouts of joy and the hugs that greeted the first seconds of the new year. My voice from the pulpit got drowned in the sea of joyful songs and greetings to the high beat of musical instruments.

Happy New Year!

Then, it hit me. Now what? What next? How many resolutions will go through the shredder to fill wastebaskets in the ensuing days?   

Today is the fourth day of the first month of the new year, 2023. It is proper to pause and reflect on the wisdom of James 1:23-24.

  “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

So, how did you look in His mirror at the end of last year and now? What resolutions did you make, and how are you doing with them?

I pray you do not forget or give up on them so quickly.