Off the Page-Into My Life

Believing the Word of God, really believing the Word of God, is a lot tougher than just reading it. That's why I usually say, "It's one thing to believe it and another thing to ignite it. Ignite it? You may say, ' What is igniting it?" We can quote all the scripture we want, but unless we have faith it is from God, our "faith" will fall well short. This isn't just a religious exercise I am talking about. I am talking about releasing the Word of God into my life by letting it get off the page (y'know, the Bible). So many Christians discount what the Word says, and thus make it almost powerless for us to live by because we water it down and make it ineffective.

The writer of Hebrews says it this way in Hebrews 4: 12 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. The passage presents God's word as possessing both vitality and dynamic force, or power. The Bible speaks with explanation and power to itself as in Psalm 119:Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Common understanding of this verse tells us that in our faith walk we are wandering around without the lamp and light of the Word to show us the way. I say this. Follow the Word!!

Where does the Word come from, and what does it do for us? 2 Timothy 3: 16 All

Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. If you want to go ahead and live a powerless life, then ignore the studying of God's Word. But if you want to know the mysteries of God, then dig deep, real deep. The following is a true story of how the Word of God impacted an actor who was reading the Bible as a part in a play, a sacriligious play, and what happened as he read it.

Many years ago in a Moscow theater, matinee idol Alexander Rostovzev was converted while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled Christ in a Tuxedo. He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, "Give me my tuxedo and top hat!" But as he read the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted," he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors. Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in a Russian Orthodox church, he cried, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom!" (Luke 23:42). Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. 

Off the Page, and Into My Life is real power and it is found in the Word of God. Let it change your heart and give you power and peace to live that Word out every day.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren