Hebrews 4:12-13
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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Psalm 19:12
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Devotion
This week we have learned the importance of judging ourselves before judging others. We must first deal with our own sin (plank) before trying to help others with their sin (speck of sawdust). If we are to judge ourselves, what is the standard of measure? In Hebrews 4:12, we see that the Word of God “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” That the Word is living shows that it reflects the true character of God Himself, the source of all life. This kind of life is full of energy to achieve its declared end. When Jesus declared that His words were spirit and life (John 6:63), it was this life-giving constituent of His revelation that was being emphasized. The second characteristic, active, serves to underline the same idea. A thing may be alive but dormant, but the nature of true life is that it springs into activity and challenges on every front those who fall short of its standards. The Word of God, in its intellectual and moral demands, pursues men and cries out for personal decision to be made in response to its exhortations. The theme that the Word of God affects us to the extent that it judges our intentions is challenging. Nothing, not even our innermost thoughts, is shielded from the discernment of the message of God.
In his commentary on Hebrews, J. Vernon McGee writes, “The Greek word for ‘judges’ actually means ‘critic.’ We have today too many critics of the Word of God. However, the Word of God is the critic. It criticizes you. It criticizes me. No man is in a position to sit in judgment on the Word of God.” The Word of God is the standard! The Word of God just doesn’t deal with the sins of commission, it goes deep down and deals with heart issues. It gets down and meets us right where the rubber meets the road, right down where you and I live and move and have our being.
Questions to Ponder:
In counseling, you have often heard the statement: “Seek to understand, not to be understood.” This has to do with listening to others so that we understand where they are coming from. One of the eight values of our church is Listen. The diagnostic question we ask for this value is, “How am I living out God’s Word today?” So, how is God revealing Himself to you today? What is God revealing to you about your own heart?
Prayer Points
- Praise the Lord for His personal, unfailing love and commitment to you. Thank Jesus for being the Word made flesh and for dwelling among us.
- Thank Him for being your Abba, Papa, who constantly reveals Himself to you through His Word, creation, and situations by His Spirit.
- Thank Him for the Living Word, the Hope of Glory, Christ within us and for enabling us to abide in Him by His Word and Spirit.
- Ask Him to draw Your heart closer to Him, to make you like Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to Him. Pray for our church family that we all will love His Word, be in it daily for ourselves, and that it would run through us.
Suggested Prayer
Immanuel, God with us, and indwelling Spirit, God in us, I adore and worship You, Lord. I praise You for being the King of kings, Lord of lords, Almighty God, Great I Am. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned against You as I have neglected Your Word and fed my body with the things of this world. I ask for myself and for the greater one church that You would grant us holy hunger for You and Your Word. I ask that we would be ones who tremble at Your Word, who live it out and let our light shine to others. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen.