Is this why you don’t read your Bible?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

Have you ever stopped to think about why people don’t read the Bible on a regular basis?

This passage gives us so much insight. For some people, it tells us why they dive into it and study it regularly. They are not afraid of what they will discover about themselves as they discover more and more about the Lord. For others, it tells us why they refuse to read God’s Word. They are afraid of what they will find out about the sin that they don’t want to change in their lives. Basically, it comes down to two very distinct groups. Either you hate the things of this world and you want to seek spiritual maturity and His truth, or you love the things of this world and you are afraid of spiritual maturity and want the lies.

Which end of the spectrum do you find yourself on?

Perhaps you are somewhere in the middle. You want to grow closer to the Lord, but you don’t want to give up your sins, so you pick and choose what you read and what you apply to your life. Is this truly growing closer to the Lord? Is this allowing the word of God to divide soul and spirit in such a way that it leads you to repentance? Is this allowing you to accept the judgment of your thoughts and attitudes of the heart in such a way that you willingly lay down your sins at the foot of the cross?

I, like many of you, have read this passage many, many times. I have always thought about it from the perspective of those who do seek the Lord and are willing to learn from His Word. I had never given it any thought from the perspective of someone who is comfortable in their sin until now. Now I understand why some people are reluctant to spend time in His Word. Now I understand why some people will not even open a Bible or have anything to do with God’s Word. Each of us must be willing to allow the penetrating and dividing judgment of our lives to work God’s Will within us so that we grow closer to Him, so that we may mature into what Jesus has saved us to be.

If you are not willing to allow this, if you are not seeking this, then reading God’s Word is folly.

Are you open to allow God’s Word to work in your life?

Is this why you don’t read your Bible?

Copyright 1998 – 2023 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Do you accept the Word made flesh!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

Perhaps this is why so many people do not spend time in God’s Word!

It makes then reflect on what they are doing!

We are creatures of habit. Human nature is far too predictable. When people reflect, they do not like what they see, so instead of changing to fit what God has called them to, they ignore God and continue in their sin. They put away what makes them see the things within themselves that they don’t like. In their minds, it is so much easier to live with the sin that they know instead of taking a chance to be free from their sin.

The Word of God is not something to be taken lightly, or, for granted. It is alive and has meaning for every person who has ever lived, whether they choose to accept that meaning or not.

Those who accept the Word of God and Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, will have their lives examined and changed by the Holy Spirit. They will find themselves worthy to stand before the Father. Those who do not accept the Word of God will be told that Jesus never knew them and will be cast out from the presence of God.

When was the last time that you actually picked up a Bible and diligently read more than a single passage? It is true that their is power in all Scripture, but it was never intended for you to just read a single passage on a random basis. Just as a single one of your cells is considered alive, it takes the complete collection to fully come to life. The same is true of God’s Word. To fully comprehend the life that is contained within the pages of the Bible, you have to read and study the whole thing. Only then will you truly begin to know the heart of the Father.

Do you spend time in God’s Word?

Do you truly accept the Word of God?

Do you accept the Word made flesh!

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
https://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Has the Word of God penetrated your life?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

What are some things that you consider to be sharp?

Perhaps you think of a sword. You might think of a broken piece of glass. If you can find your way around a kitchen, the knives may come to mind. If you have ever had a paper cut, an edge of a sheet of paper can bring on much agony. You may think of sewing needles, or perhaps even medical syringes, but have you ever thought about words being sharp?

Think about words for a moment.

The old saying that sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me is not entirely true. Words, if you let them, can penetrate deeper than almost anything. This is true because words can penetrate the soul. A wrong word can scar someone for life while the right word will change a life for the better. The Word of God does just that. The Word of God can and will change you if you will simply let it.

Many things that we consider to be sharp only penetrate our lives by accident. You will not deliberately cut yourself with a sword, a piece of glass, or a knife. A paper cut is never deliberate. Sticking yourself with a sewing needle is always by accident, and even medical syringes are introduced because of an accident or medical condition that must be addresses. I realize that there are exceptions to each of these, but for the most part, sharp objects are not willingly introduced into a person’s life.

If that is the case, then why do we introduce things into our lives through words that can cause just as much damage as a physical sharp object? What we watch, what we listen to, what we read and what we mindlessly fill our minds with penetrates deeply into our lives. If words can penetrate so deeply, then we must focus on words that will tear down our sinful nature and rebuild within us a righteous nature. We must make a decision to deliberately focus on the Word of God and allow it to penetrate our soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and judge our thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

It is a choice. It is our decision. What penetrates our lives is up to us.

Has the Word of God penetrated your life?

Copyright 1998 – 2022 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Support Daily Living Ministries
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

Do you desire to be thoroughly equipped?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV))

Do you like to cherry pick so that you go through and find what you like and leave the rest behind?

This concept works for selecting fruit and vegetables, but it is sadly used in circumstances where it shouldn’t even be considered.

Think about this in relation to your Bible reading and study plan. Do you have a favorite verse? If you are like most people who profess a faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, you probably have what most people refer to as a life verse. There is nothing wrong with that. That passage is your personal anchor that firmly grounds you in your relationship with the Lord, but it should not be the complete extent of your knowledge and understanding. It should be the starting point for a continually growing relationship and understanding of Scripture.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
(John 1:1-4 (NIV))

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

Scripture is God’s Word. Jesus is God’s Word made flesh. If we long for a relationship with the Lord, then we must spend time getting to know Him. That means that we get to know everything that there is to know about the Lord, for He is perfect. If there is something that we desire to avoid then that reflects badly on us. It shows that we desire to settle for less than perfect. It shows that we desire to settle for our sin. It shows that we don’t truly desire the Lord and the spiritual growth that comes from His Word.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

Are you willing to allow yourself to be judged, taught, rebuked, corrected and trained in righteousness?

Do you desire to be thoroughly equipped?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What does God’s Word mean to you?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

It is said that words often cut deeply. If the words of man can cut deeply into the hearts of those they are said to, how can we expect anything less from the Word of God, after all, it is sharper than any two edged sword?

The infinite wisdom that comes from God is far greater than anything that can come from man, yet, people disregard the Bible as being relevant in their lives. No other words, spoken or written, have caused so much controversy throughout history. For those who believe, it is the ultimate reference for how we are to live our lives. It is capable of reaching each of us in unique ways when we need it to. It is capable of speaking directly to our hearts. It is capable of speaking to people in the situations that they are in. It is living, for no written word could ever begin to touch people, or convict people, in this manner if it were not of God.

There are many types of people with respect to God’s Word. There are those who wholeheartedly accept it and live by it. There are those that say that it is from God, but that it is no longer relevant to today’s society. There are those who claim that it is a good book, but not God’s Word, and then there are those who shun the very words that are written in it. No matter which category you may fall into, there is no denying that the Word of God causes people to look inwardly and inspect their own lives. For those who are willing to accept correction, it is amazing. For those who are not willing to admit human frailty or their own misguided actions, it is irrelevant and will eventually be their judgment.

Whatever your opinion, it is true that the Word of God can penetrate deeply into each and every one of us. The only thing that is left to be determined is where on the spectrum of acceptance or rejection that you fall.

Does God’s Word guide you and correct you, or do you ignore it and the still, small voice that is knocking at the door to your heart?

What does the Bible mean to you?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What are you hearing from the Spirit?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
(Revelation 3:6 (NIV))

When John wrote down what he had been told to record in what we now know as the book of Revelation, he was given several messages for the churches. Each of the seven churches mentioned can be equated to an historical period, plus they can be equated to the conditions of almost any church that is in existence today. Each of the churches received a specific message that told them what they were doing right and what they were doing wrong.

How do you think these messages were received by the different churches?

How do you think these messages were received by the individual members of the different churches?

Now, imagine that you heard the following messages about your relationship with Jesus. How would you react?

You are dead. Wake up!

I am about to spit you out of my mouth!

I hold your sexual immorality against you!

Not very pleasant. Would you take it to heart and repent or would you go off in a huff because you got your feelings hurt? I have a little tidbit of information that you may want to consider. If it hurts your feelings, there is probably some truth to what you are hearing! Think about that from your experiences with different churches and pastors. Perhaps it was a passage of scripture that caused your feelings to be hurt. Whatever the situation may have been, remember the following.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

God’s Word is not a sugar coated, feel good type of message. Truth can hurt. Are you willing to hear the truth even if it hurts your feelings? Are you willing to repent if the truth requires it?

What are you hearing from the Spirit?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook

What do you have to say?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
(Psalms 91:2 (NIV))

Words play a very powerful role in this world.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
(Genesis 1:3 (NIV))

In other words, God spoke everything into existence. He did not get out any tools. He did not hire a construction crew. God literally spoke everything into existence.

It was with false words that Adam and Eve were tricked in the Garden of Eden. We all know how that ended. As a result, all of humanity has been lost to sin until God spoke of a new plan.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 (NIV))

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14 (NIV))

I could go into many, many more examples, but suffice it to say that God takes the power of words very seriously.

We are told that God’s word is alive. We are told that it is powerful. We are told that it penetrates and judges.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 (NIV))

If we are created in God’s image, what does all of this say about our words? Our words to each other have consequences. Our words to God have consequences. What you speak becomes reality.

What do you have to say? Is God your refuge and your fortress?

Copyright 1998 – 2017 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
Subscribe to daily email delivery
Visit us on facebook