THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Lauren returned us to Ephesians chapter 6 where Paul exhorts us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” by choosing a robust life in Christ through taking up the whole armor of God.  The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, was the primary point for us to study.  God breathed the word and it is alive, as we see from Hebrews 4:12, “ 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.”

Howard Hendricks, once a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, said there are three types of Bible students:  (1) those that consider Scripture bitter, like castor oil, but who know it is good for them; (2) then there are the shredded wheat kind – to them Scripture is nourishing but dry, like a bale of hay; and (3) the strawberries and cream folks – they just can’t get enough of the stuff. 

We should all have an unquenchable desire for God’s word.  A point to keep in mind is that the more you read it, the more you will want to read it.

1 Timothy 4:15 commands that we immerse ourselves in, among other Godly things, the reading of Scripture.  In Acts 17:11 the Jews in Berea received the word with all eagerness, searching for truth, as we should be doing as well. Colossians 3:16 advises us to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”

The Dead Sea is stagnant because it has no outlet.  Nothing flows from it so it is filled with sediment and minerals and can’t support any aquatic life. In contrast, the Sea of Galilee, which is just north of it, is a beautiful body of water.  It receives water from the surrounding mountains and feeds the Jordan River.  It is filled with aquatic life. 

Choose to be like the Sea of Galilee, and live a robust life for Christ.