S63P3 – The qualities of God’s word: revealing

Heb. 4:12-13

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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

For years before being saved, I would periodically crack open the Bible to see what I could find.  I recall making sure always to have one on hand when I traveled even though I had practically no spiritual life or belief system whatsoever.  I even would tell people that it was my favorite book. This all seems so strange to me now considering that my reaction to the scriptures was not positive at all during that time.  You see, each time I would open the good book, it would reveal to me something about myself that I did not want to accept.  That is why I kept my distance from God for so long.  His word certainly pierced me and exposed the truth of my heart, which I was not prepared to acknowledge or address.

The revelation of ourselves that we receive from God’s word is twofold. First, it shows us that which we must accept as true about ourselves. This is the first step toward change.  We spend so much time fooling ourselves into thinking that we are something we are not, but God’s word can clear the smoke and expose us for what we are.  Hopefully, this exposure brings conviction and a desire for change.  Second, this revelation also shows us something about God.  We get to see ourselves as He sees us, which is not some operation of condemnation. Although God’s word reveals that which is evil and wrong within us, it also shows us the hope He has for our transformation.  God’s word shows us not only who we are right now, but it also gives us encouragement that we can become better in time.

If we are serious about this process of being transformed, then we will pour over the scriptures to learn everything we can discover about ourselves. We will not run from the conviction that comes from God’s word, but we will crave it so that we can continue to learn and change.  The sharpness of God’s word indicates that it has the ability to do exactly what it is designed to do.  It will convict and reveal according to God’s purposes, but we must be willing to yield to it and let conviction and revelation transform us. Father, increase in us the desire to meditate on your word and surrender to the transformation that will come from accepting your revelation of our condition.