Words have power. Words end friendships, and start new ones. Words send armies into battle, and send them home again. Words can crush a mighty king, and embolden a feeble saint. Words bring news that delights the heart, and words bring news that break it. Words have power.
A word is a communication tool. Words represent thoughts and ideas. Many words communicate a message. Written words take spoken words and give them longevity.
God wrote a Book for his people and filled it with words. With words he created everything, and set the world in motion. His words set standards and forbid them to be broken. His words promised a great Deliverer, and warned rebels to change their ways. His words invited all who were weary to come and find rest. When nailed to a cross, the Son said these words, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Believers commonly refer to the Bible as God’s Word. But what do we mean by that? God chose to communicate to his people through an amazing book—his book—the Bible. Written over a two thousand year period, the words represent who God is, his thoughts, his heart, a record of how he deals with his people through history, and his plan for the future. Sixty-six books compiled into one, all under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit working through forty human authors. The words are God-breathed and infused with hope.
“Scripture isn’t a disconnected series of moralistic or therapeutic thoughts served up so we can be happy and successful. It’s a grand narrative that tells us how we are to know the God who made us and what it means to think and live rightly” T.M. Moore (Colson Center).
Why does God give his people a book? When we become a follower of Christ, we need a paradigm shift from the world’s philosophies. The Bible provides this, and everything else we need for life and godliness. We can’t read God’s mind but we can read his Word.
More than TED talks for the soul, the Bible’s inherent power comes from the fact that this is the place where God chooses to reveal himself. If we want to know God, we’ll find him in the Bible. He speaks to us through the pages of his Word so that we can know him more fully day by day. The more we know him, the more we love him. The closer our connection to Jesus, the more joyful and hopeful our lives will be. Why? Because words have power.
I’d love to hear about the power of God’s Word in your life.
Amen, Janet! And what better way to acquire the mind of Christ than to incorporate the Word breathed out by the Holy Spirit into the fabric of my heart!! Just memorized Ephesians 1:3-14, and what a paean of praise to God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for God’s grand design of redemption! The power of God’s Word thus internalized gives me the ability to meditate on a passage anywhere and any time “on demand.” It has transformed my prayer life as I praise and thank God according to His Word. Using memorized Scripture the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin and reveals God’s will. It allows me to encourage others with God’s own Words. It comforts me because many passages describe exactly how I feel. (It also convicts if my reaction does not correspond to Scripture.) As my prayer life is transformed, my husband is taking notice and starting to memorize with me. Most importantly, God’s Word reminds me that His ultimate purpose for our lives is the pursuit of the glory of God.
Wow Shan, I love everything you said. Amen. Thanks for taking the time to share your insights with us. Ephesians is such a rich doctrinal book and then full of application in 4-6. One of my favorites!