Hebrews 4: 12 "For the word of God is alive and active."

HEBREWS 4: 12 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.

God's word, The Bible, is given to us so that believers stand out in the world as different...not conforming to the ways of the world. The reason it is difficult to distinguish between Christians and non-Christians is that believers have stopped reading the Bible. We go to church on Sunday and hear a sermon with some scripture sprinkled through it, but unless we attend a church where the scripture is the sermon, we will walk out inspired by the words of the pastor instead of the words of God.

A good sermon is effective if it inspires us and motivates us to seek the truth that can only be found in the Bible. But if a preacher delivers a sermon that is intended to motivate us to try harder to do better, we will leave church in the same condition we were in when we arrived.

"The word of God is alive and active." When we read the Bible, we are reading words that become active within us and our lives are changed to reflect Him.

"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." The Bible is not a text book or a self-help guide like so many popular books today...many of them sold as Christian books. The words of God overcome our stubbornness, our pride, our weaknesses, our humanity. The Bible, God's word, makes us aware of our human condition as well as the righteousness of God which is alive in us by His Spirit. When we spend time in His word, He transforms us giving us the human characteristics of Jesus and His Sprit so that we can love and worship in His righteousness.