The Powerful Word

I think many Christians are familiar with the passage in Hebrews 4:12:

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.

Every now and then we get a reminder of this. I got one this morning. 

Deuteronomy 12:18 says

And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake.

For some context, this verse is in the middle of a charge to the people of Israel to be faithful to take the land of Canaan and to worship in the place and manner God commanded. Specifically, it is in a passage about how the people are allowed to eat certain kinds of meat prepared in a certain way. Admittedly, this is a passage I am tempted to gloss over as these regulations don't apply in our day under the new covenant.

Now, for some context about me. I'm working through a plan to read the Bible in a year, which is looking more like two years given my current pace. That explains why I'm reading in Deuteronomy. Our family is also trying to sell our house and buy a new one in the area. I'm having a lot of anxiety over this. It's a huge decision and and awful lot of money, at least to me. This one part of a verse pointed to the "thoughts and intentions" of my heart. I wasn't rejoicing, but worrying. Quite a bit, actually.

I took two things away from this experience. One is a reminder that the systematic reading of God's word is indeed effective in our lives. You never know what verse may pierce through you, show you your life in a very uncomfortable light, and point you to God's way for our lives. I encourage you to participate in a plan for reading systematically through the Bible, even if you're on a multi-year plan to do so.

The second is I'm working on applying that verse and making an attitude change. This is the harder part, but I should rejoice in this undertaking of buying a house. It is a great blessing to possibly move out of our place to have some more room. I have so many other things to be grateful for, too. That is what I should think about and set my heart on.

Image Source: By Søren Niedziella from Denmark (Albion_Ljubljana_Medieval_Sword_16) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

TBG: Easter Sunday

This issue of TBD is easy: Easter Sunday. For the christian, Easter reminds us of the best day ever. It reminds us that Jesus has conquered death. It reminds us that our wretched sins are indeed forgiven and atoned for. Overcoming death is the great proof Jesus gives us that all he said was true: he loves us deeply, he took the wrath of God in our place, has given us his righteousness, and has prepared a place for us after we die.

It is true. It is good. It is beautiful. Indeed the Gospel - the good news that though we are sinners, Jesus died to take that wrath on himself, and that mercy is to all who believe - is the core of Christianity, and is at the core of my life.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/emeryjl/520114756 used under the Creative Commons license