by Elizabeth Haarberg

God’s Word is Sharper than any Two Edged Sword!

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [a]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

Most Christians know Hebrews 4:12, or some form of this verse. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. It exposes, sifts, analyzes, and judges the heart. To some this can be concerning, to others reassuring. The Word cuts to the core, and to the root. It suffocates the life of anything that separates us from God.

I recently stepped back into the marketplace for work. The hot topic, in many Christian circles, is ministry in the workplace right now (which is pretty fantastic). It is meeting people in their everyday life, their hardships, and their victories of work. It sounds great to have a ministry in the workplace, but this time around has proved much more difficult than my last workplace ministry experience.

I’m struggling with my own response to individuals that I work closely with, and my frustration is clogging any chance of ministry. I am very aware of the battle in me, and surrounding me. I’m in the process of working through this with God. My experience with Him is that He is patient, kind, and waiting on me to catch up. I’m surrendering the work experience to Him so He can work it out and do His digging in me. In other words, cut me with His two-edged sword. I’m looking forward to the slicing. Sift me. Expose me. Get this irritation out of me so I can be used for greater things, used for His glory.

His love needs to burn through me, and in me, to make me look more like Him at work, at home, and even in the world. How will the world know us? By our love. We can only become love by Him loving us.

So burn away! I want to look more like You!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado