"God's Word!"

 "A time to rend, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;" (Ecclesiastes 3:7 KJV)

  "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 4:12-13 NLT)

 As with almost every morning, I pray and prepare for God to speak into my heart. Some mornings there is hardly a word, almost as if I don't hear anything at all, while other times, He speaks load and clear, as if He is right here beside me. Today, I feel that His silence is not really silence at all, because He is right here, right now, speaking into the depths of my heart!   

 Something I understand, but sometimes forget to remember, is that the Word of God never changes or is out of date. Some people try to say that isn't so, as if the Bible was written for another time, all long time ago as if we have moved past all of the things God has had written, several thousands of years ago. Truth be told, His word is more relevant now, then it was when it was written! 

 I am totally and completely convinced that we are running out of time; at the very least, I am 100% sure that I am, because the Bible says 70 is the average life we get. Therefore, either way, I am sure that the time is soon enough to get ready, to prepare to be accountable and deal with whatever might happen. If we think that we are ready, we might be disappointed; if we think that we are unworthy, we might be in for a grand surprise! 

 Yesterday, I heard this joke, and feel I need to share it: 'This new Sunday School teacher had asked her class, "Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?" A young boy in the class answered, "It wasn't me!" The teacher was shocked and alarmed by the fact the kid did not know the Bible. She went to the Pastor and told him her concern; the Pastor went to the Deacons, saying, 'Little Johnny said he didn't knock down the walls of Jericho! What should we do?' One of the Deacons said, "Well if he said he didn't do it, then we should take him at his word." Another said, "I know Johnny's family, I'm sure that he didn't do it!" And yet another said, "Regardless of who might have done it; we should take up a collection and take care of it!"' 

 We are accountable to the Word of God, to not only believe it, but to know it and live it out; to affirm that God's Word lives in us, and we can be ready in season and out of season, to give an answer and be a voice of reason! How many people do you see that carry God's Word to church? Most people now are all using their phones and tablets; not that there is anything wrong with that. That sure sounds very familiar! 

 Everyone needs to have a Bible! You might not need to carry it around and make it a statement, but it doesn't make much of a statement if it isn't by your side! Maybe that is the reason? Last Sunday a man came to church with a giant Bible; like one you would see on display somewhere, like a Cathedral. I could smell it was hardly used, because there was a moldy smell as he flipped through the pages. 

 We will probably not be able to have all of these things, phones or tablets; there is really no telling what might be going on during the days to come. So, make sure that you have a real Bible at hand, with real pages to flip through, and run your hands across. Man, did this ever get weird...

"Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 NLT)