The Living & Active Rest.
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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
A sword is a very effective weapon and can be used for defence as well as attack. The emphasis in today’s passage isn’t however on the sword as a weapon that we need to fear, but rather on a sharp blade that is given for our benefit.
Sharp blades are interesting. Sharpening a blade essentially creates an edge that is as thin and consistent as possible. The thin edge is sharp because it can separate materials softer than itself. This separation we call cutting. A blunt blade is not sufficiently thin to bring about this separation, and a material harder than the blade will also not be separated by it.
When the Holy Spirit compares Scripture to a sharp blade, He shows us that Scripture, in His hands, is accurate and consistent, and harder than any heart. We do not separate Scripture, Scripture separates us. Like a surgeons scalpel it can cut away deceit and all of our self-centred pride and expose the truth of who we are and what our hearts intentions are. This is not to shame us, God already knows who we are and all of our intentions. The Sword of the Spirit is given to us to bring us to constant repentance and draw us into God’s will and His blessed rest.
Prayer.
Dear Father God, You are our maker and our healer. We praise You that You have given us Your Word and Your Holy Spirit to guide and restore us, to cut away the wrong in our hearts and bring about healing and restoration. Thank You that You loved us while we were still sinners, even though You know the depths of our hearts. Please expose our faults and failures to us Oh Lord, and help us to repent of them, to the Glory of Your Name. Thank You Lord that heaven and earth may pass away, but that Your Word oh Lord is forever. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Worship.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing
Thy grace Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer Here there by Thy great help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger Interposed His precious blood
Oh, that day when freed from sinning I shall see Thy lovely face
Clothed then in the blood washed linen How I'll sing Thy wondrous grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry Take my ransomed soul away
Send Thine angels now to carry Me to realms of endless day
Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Service.
This week, when reading Scripture why not ask the Lord to expose our shortcomings to us through His Word, and then ask for His forgiveness. We should also pray for Him to show us how we can say sorry for the way we do things that is hurtful to those around us. Being able to say sorry, and admit our faults and failures is a testimony to God’s work in our lives and this is a powerful tool for drawing others into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord Bless you and keep you in His will. In Jesus Name, Amen.