Live By The Sword

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.   

Hebrew 4:12 was one the verses I tried memorizing a while back in my early Christian days. I just loved how it emphasized the power of God's word.  But honestly, I was young and pretty much just noticed 2 things: the Word and Sword.  It was a pretty shallow interpretation of that verse, and I'm excited to really dig deep into it with you all.

Grace's devotion from yesterday leads us to verse 12 where she talks about rest. In verse 11, we are told to strive for God's rest.  A kind of rest that keeps us from falling away from God. The author starts talking about the Word as a means to find that rest.

First, the Word is Living and Active. It's not static or dead.  The Word is alive and it gives us life when we dwell in it.  When one dwells in the Word, he or she is active. It's when you are in the Word that you are walking in the Spirit and truly living.

Next, the word is two-edged sword  So it's an active and living sword!   God's word is going to cut into your soul and spirit and enable you to find rest.  When you read God's word, you find direction, truth, joy and comfort. You see you don't have it all together, but that we have a savior that gives us rest. It can also convict you and reveal things God may be telling you to change. So in that sense, the Word is a two-edged sword. You'll either find rest in it or conviction.  

In verse 13, we come to find out whether or not we dive into the Word and find that rest or not, that we'll end up naked and exposed to God. Check out Charlie's devotion from July 6 regarding verse 13.

The next time you see your Bible or God gives you a nudge to pick it up, remember verse 12.  Remember that the Word is living and Active. Remember that if you feel like your heart or spirit has become calloused, that the Word is sharper than ANY two-edged sword.  Allow it to cut through the callousness and provide you rest.