The power of the Sword

My hubby and I both have e-readers. With access to the same account, we can be reading the same book at the same time, and reading anywhere, including in the dark. We can check books out of our library and they are automatically returned in three weeks.

Writers and publishers wonder if electronics will replace books made of paper and ink. Christian leaders are also wondering but for different reasons. In our church of 500 or so, Scriptures projected on the wall and on the screens of smart phones mean that almost no one carries a Bible.

One Sunday, I helped in a class of three and four-year-olds whose topic that day was the value of the Word of God, but there were no Bibles in the room except mine. The story teller was forced to ‘pretend’ as she read a child’s version of the Bible story from a curriculum guide.

During the time just before the Israelites were taken captive into Babylon, the prophets rebuked them for their disobedience to God’s Word. They had it, but were ignoring it. The Lord said to them, “Behold, the days are coming when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11–12)

God’s people rejected this warning from Amos and went into exile where there was no word from the Lord at all. Its absence left a great gaping hole in their lives, and they realized God’s revelation to them had been their most precious possession.

The psalms begin with this: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2)

Psalm 119 particularly lifts up the Word of God as precious in verses like these:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9–11)

Scripture had been valued, but by repeatedly rejecting God’s word, it was suddenly absent. At first, this severe judgment came to the priests, but eventually to the people as a whole for the same sin.

Jesus shows me one huge reason for needing Scripture. When tempted by Satan, He answered with the Word of God. He said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) The Word of God is the very source of spiritual life. We need it for renewal, guidance, and to feed our souls.

It is also vital in fighting the Liar, as Jesus did. Regarding my spiritual battles, I must wear the armor God gives for protection, and use my weapon, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

Of course, this sword can be read from a screen, but there is something ominous when so many Christians are not carrying the book. Does it indicate we are not reading it as much as we used to? Have we lost familiarity with its pages, where to find the cutting edge needed in our spiritual battles?

Maybe some do not read it because this sword works two ways. “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.” (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s Word drives the Liar from us, but also exposes those things in us that inclined our hearts to listen to our enemy instead of God. While learning all about my sinfulness is not exactly a pleasure, I know the spiritual danger if I decided not to read the Bible. Without God’s Word, I’d wind up in exile, held captive in a foreign place where I’d hunger for what I once had but not be able to find it.

Law and love and wonder

In the Old Testament, the word “law” is the Hebrew word “torah.” It primarily means “direction, teaching, instruction.” This is not what we normally think when we use this word. For us, it is the regulations whereby a culture or government rules itself. When the law says I cannot drive faster than the posted speed limit, there is some instruction involved, but is mostly laying down a rule that if violated, I will have to pay a fine. The emphasis is “do this or else.”

While many people think that religion is the same, that is a whole bunch of “do this or else” laws, the law of God puts more emphasis on the spiritual principles for life that make life better, richer, more in line with what God had in mind when He created us. That means when God says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” He is not yelling, “If you don’t, you will pay” but implying (among other things) that “This is my ideal for your life.”

This is why the psalmist was excited about the Word of God and the laws of God. In them, he learned a higher kind of life, a greater way to be a human being. He knew that this body of learning was beyond his comprehension though. This is because sin blinds our understanding. For that reason, he prayed this…

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)

Today’s devotional reading says that conversion to Christianity is a great experience because when God opens our eyes to His law, this recreates the faculty of wonder. Even when His instruction comes with strong rebuke, it can be sweet, beautiful and fresh. Seeing life through the eyes of God opens to us a great wonder. Some say the sky is deeper blue, loved ones more precious. For me, the gospel steadily deepens my sense of wonder at all things around me and deepens my love for life itself.

I once thought life was a journey to enjoy and I dreaded death, but now life is the prelude to eternity and death is its doorstep. I once thought of sin as the big bad things done by other people, but the wondrous law of God showed me sin is a violation of all that God intended for me and makes me unclean in His eyes. Once sin was not vital or even noticed, but now I fight it with all my heart for I want to please the One who died so I could be set free from its grip.

God’s instruction is not a list of rules. It is guidance and direction for life, and shows me how to have joy and peace, a peace too deep for words that is a mystery that humanity can never fathom. In it, even as a Christian with eyes wide open, I can only wonder and be amazed.

My Christian faith and the law of God shows me how His love is at the heart of everything, and with it, wonder is never far away. Most wonderful is that God loves me and His love is permanent, mine forever. The author of today’s reading expresses it this way:

Once we have learned to love Jesus and to experience His love to us, there falls a newness of wonder on everything. I know that God is power—but he may be power and still leave me cold. I know that God is justice—and yet infinite justice can never win my heart. God is love. The world is made in love. Every touch of his hand on me is love—and immediately I cry in adoration, “He will be called Wonderful!”

Astonished Gratitude

My sister uses a particular devotion guide. One day last week she was struggling with a sense of neglect and loneliness. She opened her devotional booklet and that was the topic for today. She was blessed as she read the Bible verses that answered her need. Then, on a whim, she opened a classic devotional book to the same date and was astonished that it also addressed the same topic.

God is good at doing things like that. Many Christians tell of how their devotional material hits whatever issue or questions that they are experiencing on that day. I suspect that it is not the devotional material that He lines up to fit our situation, but the situations that He lines up to make us ready to hear what He is going to say to us. We hear better when need makes the words relative to our experience.

The psalmist may have been thinking this, but in any case, he wrote lavishly about the decrees and laws of God. He also knew that without God’s help, he would not “get it” when he read the Bible. He says…

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)

The Word of God is a wonder, but I am also amazed that I finally “get it” and wonder at it and that my wonder stays and deepens. Each day, I am astonished by something new from God, and if not astonished, certainly blessed by a deeper and more perfect knowledge of God and eternal matters. This is of God, not about me.

As today’s devotional says wonder is a valuable commodity. Think how easily the facility of wonder vanishes. I remember our short year in Alaska and the amazing scenery. One day we came out of the grocery store in Soldatna and the sky was overcast in “buttermilk” clouds, not particular in themselves, but the low sun made them blood red. It was spectacular, but we were the only people in that parking lot looking up. For the locals, this had become commonplace, not quite familiarity that breeds contempt, but along that line.

Perhaps this capacity to take things for granted is the reason Jesus tells us to pray for our daily bread. We spiritualize that and make it mean daily spiritual nourishment through a quiet time with God and in Bible study, but He probably meant daily bread on the table, food for our bodies. In North America, many people think nothing of that. Eating is commonplace, but if I pray for it and am thankful for God’s provision, I’m not only more appreciative for the food, but for other things, even the small thing.

This attitude of thankfulness is important. One of my course professors says that grumbling was the worst sin in the Old Testament. If I am not thankful, I am grumbling. Gratitude is vital to spiritual health and losing my sense of wonder messes with my gratitude.

For those reasons, I want to appreciate even the least of things, like the brilliant red on the sunlit building across the street from my hotel (we are on a business trip) and the incredible blue sky, and a good sleep last night, and my husband leaving me with a platter of breakfast before he went to his meetings. I’ve the privilege today of helping my sister sort the remains of her flooded home. I am thankful that I am able to walk and move and communicate, that I can drive a car and hear and see, that I can wonder at the world around me.

I’m also thankful that the Holy Spirit still speaks to me, shows me what God wants for me each day, even each moment. The wonder of God’s care is never earned or deserved, only to be received with astonished and humble gratitude.

Open minds

A young girl told me that to be saved she must do good works. I opened a Bible and asked her to read these verses out loud:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

After she read it, I asked her, “According to these verses what does a person have to do to be saved?”

She replied, “They must do good works.”

Oh Father, at that time I knew that spiritual blindness is a reality, yet I was surprised at her inability to see the black and white words of these verses from Ephesians. Even after she said them herself, she did not understand, and in fact thought they said the opposite.

Tonight’s devotional reading is about the need for a change in a sinner’s brain. I can remember reading and reading the Bible, daily and for many years. It didn’t make any sense at all. After You came into my life, something happened. Instead of a dark and obscure book, the Bible changed. But it was not the book that changed, it was You changing me, just as these verses describe.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:45)

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18)

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. (Acts 16:14)

Not only do You open Scripture, You also open minds. While You can use preachers and Your disciples to speak Your Word, even explain Your Word, not one of us can open the minds of those who listen. Only You can do that.

Even the best of speakers and teachers can engage the ears, the mind, even the emotions and will, but You alone can open the deepest part — the human spirit. You even give sinners a hunger for truth. No one has to be a scholar or experienced in Bible study to grasp what You are saying when You open their understanding. No matter who it is, that is exactly what happens; they understand You.

Spurgeon says, “How many men of profound learning are ignorant of eternal things” and I say “Many!” I’ve heard of people who memorize great portions of this great Book yet have no idea what it means. Many children and uneducated people know more about You than those with doctorates or who call themselves theologians.

Yet such was my situation before You entered my life. I was utterly blind to truth, to You. If it were not for Your great love, I would have remained in that darkness and ignorance. If You did not open my spiritual understanding, I could not grasp anything of Your will and Your ways.

It is in Your classroom and at Your feet that spiritual knowledge is not only imparted but received, understood and believed. This is grace and a wondrous thing. Again, while I have proudly thought at times that I have done something, I know that You swing the bat and You sing the song. You are the hand in the glove, the One who imparts to my heart all that You want me to know.