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12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. 14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:12-16 NRSV)
A blessed and joyous Tuesday to you, ConCafe Family. May you, blessed friend, shine as a true disciple of the Lord in ways that bless Him and you! May we continue to pray for one another and the ever increasing list of those who know God answers prayer and know that we lift others in prayer. Pray for one another; pray for your needs.
A sociology professor once asked our class how one disposes of an old, used Bible. He asked if there was a ritual or liturgy to follow like there is for old United States flags. The answer is, as far as I know, not any set order of worship to dispose of a Bible, I ask, is there a deep respect for what the Bible is that one cannot bring oneself to simply tossing it into a trash can? And during my years of ministry I've had some dear church members who have had some interesting views of the Bible. One believed no other book or object could be on top of any Bible. I teased some when I saw their family Bible on top of the television with their believing in Immaculate Reception through a Bible sitting on the TV (Kids, talk to your parents about TVs back in the day being oval and square or box shaped and a thing called a television antenna). I have to confess that I am one who could not bring myself to simply throwing away a Bible but a firm believer in donating it to a museum or church where someone might use it.
But onto the passage. The Bible is God's living and loving word. As the Hebrews writer tells it, he knows it to be "living and active." I've shared where persons from other parts of the world when exposed to the Holy Bible have reacted to what they have experienced from reading it, and even some who have said, "The Bible read me!" One missionary to America recounted how he snuck into his father's room to read a Bible in his language that a missionary left on his bed. He shared how he could not put the Bible down because he had never encountered a "talking book." The Bible spoke to him. A friend of mine in ministry is in ministry because he was given a gift of a free Bible after a lifetime of no exposure to anything religious or Christian. That night he could not put the Bible down and by morning, he knew that God was calling him into ministry. The Bible is unlike any other book, and Hebrew's claim that it is alive cannot be refuted. That the Bible is active cannot be disputed either. The only stagnant Bibles are those which are left unread. The Bible also does not pull any punches, thus the "sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Ouch! Yes, God's word is just like that! One has to notice the awe and wonder of the author as he writes with gratitude that he has come to know the truth and power on the pages of God's holy word. No one can hide as they enter the pages of God's word; God knows who and what we are, and as we read the pages of His word, God reveals to us what we should be.
The focus in the passage shifts to Jesus. Jesus is our high priest who sympathizes with our human weaknesses, knows us and identifies with us and awaits our petitions at His throne of grace which we should approach wtih boldness and confidence for it will be there where we will receive mercy and grace during our times of need. God knows us and yet God loves us and receives us and still grants us what we need. This is Good News; this is what the world still yearns to hear; that we are not yet written off, we are the beloved of God.
PRAYER: Loving God, we celebrate and thank You for Your word for in it we find the way to Your mercy and grace. May we help others come to know You through what we know and what we share. May we truly spend time with You through time in Your word to learn more and grow more; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show others the Christ Jesus you have in your heart.
Receive my blessing of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
