Focused is on the Living Word

So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:11-13 NLT

The tendency to become lax and mediocre in our Christian life is easy to come by. It happens when we start to neglect spending time in the Word of God. The writer of Hebrews gave a stern warning about this tendency because it could lead to wanton disobedience. This is what happened to the Israelites when they neglected God’s Word and disobeyed God by not entering the Promised Land. Their disobedience led to a tragic consequence. “They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it” (Numbers 14:23). They ignored the Word of God and such disregard is a contemptuous action to God. “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” The Word of God is alive for it will endure forever. “Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). It is powerful for it will accomplished what it was set out to accomplish. “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11). No matter what age we are, the Word of God can change us if we are going to listen to it. God designed His Word to penetrate our innermost being. It can cut through and will bring about conviction when the message is understood. When God’s Word is received and allowed to penetrate our lives, it will sift through our motives and intentions. It will expose our thoughts and attitudes that are not pleasing to God. When this happens, we are disposed to come to God and receive His offer of grace. To do otherwise will result to a reckoning. “Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing is hidden before God. “You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all” (Psalm 90:8). God cuts through our lives so deep that we will die to self and once we are dead to self and surrender to His will, we will experience His life.

Blessings,