The Word of God

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. -- Hebrews 4:12"
  I read on Thursday night from the book The Heart of the Bible by John MacArthur and will paraphrase his comments on this particular passage from Hebrews.
  Do you think of the Bible as just a group of religious stories? Or maybe just a comforting book, an encouraging book. If so, then you haven't read what the Bible says about itself: it is a sword, a surgeon's knife, cutting between "joints and marrow". Here is a quote from MacArthurs's book: "...[W]hen we are up--elevated by pride or human wisdom--the Bible knows how to bring us down by uncovering our sin, unmasking our hypocrisy and demolishing our willfullness. Reading the Bible is not a safe thing to do. It can be a frightening experience. But wherever God cuts with His Word, He heals."
  We need to be grateful that He loves us enough to use His word to shape us into beings that He can use.

Spiritual Discipline

One of the spiritual disciplines that I am lacking is in the area of scripture memory. I remember as a child I could rattle off the books of the Bible in order and had a litany of verses that I had memorized from school and Sunday school. I guess I didn't always know what they meant, but I could recite them along with their references. These days I have a better understanding of the verses because of my life experiences, but I don't always know where to find them. Or I have conversations with people who say 'Well, doesn't the Bible say .....' and I know that I should know!

So, I am going to challenge myself to learn a few verses over the summer. I am hoping that members of the Praise Team and other members of my circle of friends will join me in this.

At practice last night, I shared that one verse I love is Galations 2:20 'For I have been crucified with Christ. I know no longer live, but Christ in me.' That is a life verse of mine. Others that were shared were Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 3:7 and Psalm 139.

I would love to hear some of your favorite verses so I can add them to my list of verses of memorize.