Living and Active

Lately I've been pondering what it means for the word of God (the Bible) to be "living and active"  (Hebrews 4:12).  My pondering comes out of two places...

1.  I recently had a conversation with someone who believes that there is only one meaning to every Bible verse.  One.  And if you don't get it right, then you've blown it.

2.  I've been working on getting a summer bible reading schedule together for our huddle.  While I've been doing this, I've been trying to remember what we've already covered.  I just realized this morning, that while my desire to cover "new" books (new to the group) is good in the sense that I'd like them to get a handle on the entire Bible, it's bad in that I've been responding (without knowing it) to too many conversations I've had in the past with people who say (when referring to a book of the Bible) "oh, I've already read that."

My response to both #1 & #2 came into sharp focus this morning as I read my Bible.  I opened my Bible app to where I had left off yesterday, and I read words that I had read just yesterday.  Yesterday, these words were good and instructive in a generic sort of way.  But today?  They were God's words for me, answering a question I had.  They were specific,  pointed instruction.  They were words, not just to all of humanity, but to Pam.

God's Word is living and active... not dead and in the past.  God can use the same passage to speak to me on multiple days and in multiple ways.  Do I need to make sure I'm not taking it out of context with the entirety of Scripture?  Of course.  Is it helpful to know it's original context?  Yes.

But I belong to a God who whispers (and sometimes shouts) to me through His Ancient Word, and He whispers to me instructions for today.

SO... my response to those who believe that every Bible verse has only meaning?  God speaks to us through His Word for today, not just yesterday.  And my response to those who say "I've already read that"?  Read it again.  And again.  And again.  Because God's Word is living and active.