READ: EPHESIANS 6:13-18; HEBREWS 4:12

Have you ever tried to cut food with a dull knife? The process can be frustrating—and messy! Similarly, a dull pencil can hardly write, and a dull chisel will not only make slow progress, but it might end up ruining the item it’s supposed to be shaping. A dull tool rarely does its job well. But there is one tool that never needs sharpening—the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is “sharper than any double-edged sword.” Knives and other blades get dull and need to be sharpened pretty often, but God’s Word is always sharp and powerful.

God calls us to engage with His Word often by taking time alone to read the Bible and apply it to our lives, and also by gathering with fellow Christians and learning more about what it says.

God often speaks to us as we read and study His Word. Sometimes He convicts us of sin, which can be painful. It may feel even sharper than a sword. But it’s really a good kind of pain, sort of like the pain we feel when we exercise our muscles. And God always tells us how to deal with the sin in our lives: by confessing it to Jesus. He freed us from sin’s power so we could be brought near to God and learn to walk in His good ways. But resisting sin isn’t easy. At times, it’s an outright battle. People used to fight battles with swords, so we use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) when we fight against sin and against lies Satan wants us to believe—lies like, God doesn’t love us or won’t forgive us for the wrong things we do.

But interacting with God’s Word isn’t always painful. We can be comforted and encouraged when we remember God’s many promises, and when we remember the gospel—how Jesus, God in flesh, died on the cross and rose from the dead to defeat sin and death, and how He promises to return one day and resurrect us from the dead so we can live with Him eternally. We can find great hope in these promises. And that hope will never grow dull. • A. W. Smith

• As you read the Bible, do you think about what God might be saying to you? It can be easy to forget that God’s Word isn’t like other writings—it’s written by God Himself, and it’s “alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). Consider taking some time to read today’s Scripture again, paying attention to what God might be saying to you. Sometimes He reveals sin in our lives that we need to confess and turn away from, or He reminds us to trust Him through a difficult time, or He gives us clarity on a situation in our lives, or He assures us that He will always love us.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword… Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)