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.