August 10, 2023

The Bible Edge

Everyone needs an Edge, Believers can have a Bible Edge

James 1:23 - 24

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

To some the bathroom scale is a diabolical item, it is horrible. To others it is a wonderful appliance, something to be welcomed, looked forward to, even greeted warmly. It depends on which side of the scale a person is on. If a person is overweight the bathroom scale is horrifying; to someone who maintains their ideal weight it is gratifying. The same household appliance can bring both joy and horror. Go figure!

One interesting fact about the bathroom scale is that it does not aid in weight loss or weight gain. It simply tells the truth about how much a person weighs. It doesn’t keep the doughnuts from their dastardly deeds. It doesn’t force kale down someone’s throat. It doesn’t count calories, add muscle, reduce carbohydrates, or even increase metabolism. It simply relates how much someone weighs. In my doctor’s office, I’ve noticed that the digital scale records the weight in kilograms, I guess it helps in some way. Frankly, I like the bathroom scales that are small, trim line items that can be easily hidden in a closet. No need to see that awful instrument of cruelty on a daily basis, right?

The bathroom scale has something in common with a mirror. Like the scale, the mirror does not change a person’s appearance (unless it is one of those carnival mirrors). It simply shows a person what they really look like. Neither affect a change, but both relate a true characteristic of the person using them.

Same with the Bible. The Bible in and of itself does not make a person right or wrong, but it will tell a person whether they are right or wrong in any given circumstance. It shows the reader what they really are according to God’s measure of a person. Someone has said, “The Bible is not just a book that men read, the Bible is a book that reads men.” Read the Bible long enough and any person will see themselves for what they really are. Perhaps that is why so many don’t read it. Just like many do not step up on a bathroom scale, because they really would rather not know.

The Bible edge for today: Be a doer of the Word of God, not just a hearer. God gives a promise to the doers: 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. James 1:25

William T. Howe, Ph.D.