Living and Active

3/17/2021

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.”

One of the books I am currently reading is The Challenge: Sermons from Madison Square Garden, by Billy Graham. I have read several of his books and would recommend any of them. This book is a compilation of the 10 sermons he preached in New York throughout 1969. The really staggering thing to me as I read each one is that the entire book (barring certain historical references which were current events at the time) could have been written today. He speaks of turmoil in higher education. He speaks of racial inequality. He speaks of hopelessness. He speaks of how people are searching for meaning and purpose. He speaks of all the ills and positive attributes of society in these sermons. He also very clearly speaks of Who every human needs to yield his or her life to in order to find truth, purpose, forgiveness, peace, strength, and hope, and that is the Savior of the world Jesus. He proclaims the Gospel unapologetically and boldly to a packed Madison Square Garden every night. (They were also broadcast in 21 cities along the east coast, and three of them were shown in prime time on more than 300 stations in the US and 60 station abroad.) There is no prosperity preaching here, nor any new age content mixed in; there is only the truth of the Word of God. Sadly, since his death, we have been lacking this kind of visible Christian servant in our country and our world, and we certainly could use one.

The other thing about Graham’s book is that it, once again, shows that the Bible is and always will be both timeless and timely. It has been around for thousands of years, yet it is still as relevant today as it ever was in history, and is the best-selling book of all time. Even though we, as a culture, have leaned into mediation, self-help books, and programs to try to replace it, the Bible is truly the only book anyone will ever need as a blueprint for this life. Every flaw, failure, and sorrow of the human condition is addressed within, as well as the answer to joy, peace, forgiveness, purpose, and everlasting life. It was, is, and always will be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God.

I encourage you, if you have not yet made it a practice of your life, to begin interacting with God’s Word. As the verse above states clearly, it is living and active and will change your life forever. It has certainly changed mine.

Basic

Instructions

Before

Leaving

Earth