The disciple James compared the Bible to a mirror that allows us to see our inner person. (Jas. 1:22-25) How can we properly use the Bible as a mirror?

Read it carefully. If we just glance at ourselves in a mirror, we might overlook some significant flaw. To see aspects of our inner person that need attention, we do well to peer into God’s Word by reading it carefully.

Look more at yourself than at others. A mirror held at an angle might expose someone else’s defects. Similarly, we could use the Bible to identify someone else’s faults. But this would not necessarily help us correct our own.

Be reasonable. If we fixate on our own flaws that a mirror reveals, we might become discouraged. We need to be reasonable when reading God’s Word by not expecting more of ourselves than Jehovah does.​—Jas. 3:17.