Tag Archives: Word of God

The Word of God

Living in the Spirit

October 7, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:12-16

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. 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. –Hebrews 4:12-13

The Greek word, Logos, is used here and in John 1 to denote something more than scripture saved for posterity. The recording of the history of the acts of God lays a necessary foundation for our faith. However, it does not encompass the wholeness of God’s continuing acts of creation, including ongoing interactions through the Spirit with each of God’s children who seek to recognize God’s role in their lives. Strong’s Concordance describes the “word” used in the above scripture as:

reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, etc.: once so in the phrase ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, of the divine mind, pervading and noting all things by its proper force, Hebrews 4:12*.

I find myself praying, “God, help me see what I am missing,” while trying to understand what is happening around me and our world today. Elemental forces of change are ever-present. Thus, we must seek and foster God’s path as we struggle to make sense of it all. We face the challenge of loving all of God’s people or not as we play a game of who is acceptable and who is not. Every day, we gamble our future regarding how minimally we can respond to make the changes necessary to correct and adapt to climate change. But what are we leaving the next generations by our failure to act more aggressively? Have we reached the time when war no longer works, if it ever did? How do we attain harmony amid a world that feeds on division? And finally, how do we end the pandemic of greed that is usually woven through every disaster we face?

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. We must seek this word of God in everything we do.

Prayer: God, help us see what we are missing and to find your way, your truth, and your life. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3056.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Hearing the Word

Lent

April 1, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31:9-16

But I trust in you, O Lord;
   I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
   deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
   save me in your steadfast love. -Psalms 31:14-16

When I read that line My times are in your hand, I realized a calming impact on my whole being. A friend and I were talking on the phone when she asked, “Are you experiencing being disoriented about what day of the week it is?”  Well yes, I had been. When I was in school and then worked, the days of the week were regimented for me. Thus, when I retired it took me a while to acclimate having to tag what day it is to something else. Throughout my whole life, I could find my weekly bearing by attending church on Sunday. I would miss occasionally due to illness or travel, but I was always acutely aware of what I was missing. This week I attended church from my recliner in my living room via Facebook while sheltering at home doing my part in reducing the spread of the covid 19 virus. Our time is indeed in God’s hand and our times are in God’s hands even if our part is to do nothing.

We are called to be doers of the word not hearers only* and we may pay more attention to the word “doer” than the assumption that we are already hearers. This homebound new normal we are experiencing has created space when we are freed to invest our time in rediscovering the depth and breadth of God’s love as we prepare for our life in Christ through this covid 19 pandemic and beyond.

Prayer: Lord, at this time help us to encounter your Word with hearing it through our entire beings and let us prepare us for recovering an even better world when the pandemic is over. Amen.

*James 1:22-25

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Word of God

Light-ShinesLiving in the Spirit
July 12, 2016

Scripture Reading: Amos 8:1-12

The time is surely coming, says the Lord God,
   when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, or 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, seeking the word of the Lord,
   but they shall not find it. –Amos 8:11-12

 Many associate the “words of God” with the Bible. Statistics tell us we’ve got plenty of Bibles.

 More than three-quarters of Americans (77 percent) think the nation’s morality is headed downhill, according to a new survey from American Bible Society.

 The survey showed the Bible is still firmly rooted in American soil: 88 percent of respondents said they own a Bible, 80 percent think the Bible is sacred, 61 percent wish they read the Bible more, and the average household has 4.4 Bibles*.

The book of John takes the “Word” of God a step further: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

When Amos is talking about hearing the words of God, he is talking about being in full communion with the God of love. Of course, we find God in the Bible, and that is a lifelong pursuit for all. Bibles are not table decorations nor are they offensive weapons with which we can force our understandings on others. Indeed, the Bible is a great source of discernment through dialogue when we can grow together in communities of faith. The Word of God as represented in Jesus, the Christ, requires a deeper commitment to understanding and in sharing with God and with one another. My sense is that Amos is observing that the people of his day turned their backs on this level of communion. Are we mirroring that same behavior today?

Prayer: Lord, darkness lurks just outside our windows. Let your light shine before us marking your path for us to follow. Amen.

*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/americans-love-the-bible-but-dont-read-it-much_n_3018425.html

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Spiritual Wholeness

areyoureadytogrowbig2Living in the Spirit
May 21, 2016

Scripture Reading: John 16:12-15

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. –John 16:12-13

This scripture affirms the progression of faith from the first century forward. It seems to acknowledge both our need to grow into our faith and the need for our faith to grow into changing times and circumstances.

Paul talks about the infancy of faith in 1 Corinthians 3:2: I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work honing us into the best that we can be when we invite the Spirit in and trust in the Spirits guidance. Paul often refers to athletes who must constantly work at perfecting their craft. We must work just as hard keeping in good spiritual shape. It does not mean we need to pray harder telling God what to do. It does mean we need to open our hearts and minds to God’s guidance even when it is uncomfortable. Think about the sore muscles we must endure as we get our bodies into optimum shape.

We should also not settle for our understanding of the word of God as being static. That would be like thinking the laps we ran in high school meets our exercise needs today. We must glean from the Bible the truths of God and, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, understandings of how those truths apply today.

Prayer: Lord help us to grow in your wisdom and truth and grant us the ability to incorporate your truths into our beings. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

FigsAdvent
November 30, 2014

Scripture Reading: Mark 13:24-37

‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. — Mark 13:28-31

I ate my first fresh fig ever this summer while touring Turkey and thought of Jesus’ lesson of the fig tree. Our tour bus pulled over next to a farmer’s fruit and vegetable stand by the side of the road. The farmer knew we were coming for he had already set aside more than enough figs for our group to each get one or two. It was delicious.

I recently volunteered to bring a fruit plate for the after-church reception we have each year on the first Sunday of Advent following our Hanging of the Green service. I looked for fresh figs but in Oklahoma in late November, I did not find any fresh figs so I got dried ones. I wanted others to experience the taste of new fruit, but I realized that the dried figs, like Christ’s words are just as nurturing and always available.

It is hard to know how to mark the church year in the midst of now Gray Thursday, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. I know it is important that our economy and all of the economies of the world remain stable so that all peoples can thrive. We have a long way to go in realizing such abundance throughout the world and a long way to go in setting our own houses in order regarding material wealth. It is, thus, important for us to remember that those things do pass away but the love of God through Jesus Christ never ends.

Prayer: Order our lives, O Lord, during this Advent season so that our love for you drives all that we are and do. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

Entrusted with the Word

Word of GodLiving in the Spirit
November 7, 2014

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.— 1 Thessalonians 2:13

How does God’s word work in us? First the word “believers” could also be translated “those who have been entrusted with the word”. I like this second translation because it implies more than simply to believe something. It says we are to protect it and value it beyond measure. Since the word translated “believers” is plural, it also means that I must engage with others and come to some common understanding about what the Word of God is saying. We, then, together must let it work within each of us and among all of us for the Word to produce synergy throughout our world today. Paul often called that fruit.

The Word of God for me includes both the Bible and the life examples of Jesus Christ. And yes, I realize that the life examples are for the most part gleaned from the Bible but they are in some ways more real to me in my daily walk. I have sat on the hillside above a crowd of hungry people and had compassion, walked along the water’s edge with friends and co-workers searching for answers to life’s questions, wept over the loss of a dear loved one, and enjoyed the innocent, fresh company of children. And all these experiences look a little different to me having seen them through the eyes of Jesus and actually through the eyes of all those who came before him and followed him. The Word of God is living as Hebrews 4:12 states: 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.

As the word of God works within us to shape our hearts so goes our ministry to serve God.

Prayer: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
               Sent from the heart of God,
              Hold us who wait before Thee
             Near to the heart of God. Amen*

*From the hymn Near to the Heart of God words by Cleland B. McAfee, http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/e/neartoth.htm

 All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.