As most of you, I've been on a bit of a Michael Jackson kick lately.  I remember the day after he died every individual who drove by me or pulled up next to me would be blasting favorites like "Beat It," "Smooth Criminal," "Thriller," "Man in the Mirror," and the list goes on.  It was amazing just how much of an impact this one man had on music and the world.  Anyways, that's not what this blog is about.  

This week Chrissy and I had the pleasure of viewing the movie, "This is it," a documentary where you watched several of his comeback tour rehearsals leading up to his debut in London a few weeks before he died.  Needless to say, we loved it!  I'm not advocating everything Michael Jackson ever did.  He obviously had his issues.  However, I'm not sure any artist has ever written more hopeful, truthful, challenging music in the secular industry than Michael Jackson.  Songs that called for an end to violence, world hunger, selfishness, crime, war, and world destruction.

As we watched the movie one of the songs that has always been a favorite of mine came on, "Man in the mirror."  My mind immediately went to a passage of scripture which until recently I had never fully understood.  James 1:22-24 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."  I had always focused on the idea of being a "doer" not a "hearer," and I had preached from this passage; yet, never had I fully understood the whole mirror concept. 

James compares those who are hearers of this world to "face-forgetters."  Let me explain. Imagine someone wakes up in the morning goes to the mirror and sees himself.  He notices that he has a gigantic whitehead on his forehead, he has some dirt on his cheeks, his hair is sticking up in every direction, and he decides to do nothing about it.  He walks away from the mirror and never thinks about the way he looks again. He almost forgets all of the flaws that need to be adjusted, and just carries on as usual.  This is what hearers of the word and not doers are likened to.   Scripture serves as a mirror to our lives.  We are to take the word that we read, the scriptures we are taught and compare them to our lives.  The scriptures reveal our sin and faults and shortcomings, thus causing us naturally to change what is in contrast to the scripture, to change what is not pleasing to God.  When we hear everything scripture says and don't apply any change to our lives then we are like these whitehead faced, dirty cheeked, carrot top haired people.

Be sure to look in the mirror and make the changes necessary so you are not just a hearer but a doer as well.  After all, "If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make that CHANGE! WHOOOOO!