The Word of God–a Sharp Sword

My favorite martial arts weapon is the sword…we have quite a collection of swords in my household–Samurai swords, bamboo swords, wooden swords, chinese double-sided swords, broadswords, and so on.  Each sword is designed to be used for a specific purpose and we have to train for years to learn how to wield each sword the correct way until the various strokes become second nature.

When starting to train with a sword, we (my husband, son and I are all black belts in Karate) started out by doing very basic conditioning exercises with the weapon to build muscle and learn how to hold it properly.   From there we went on to learn a series of exercises that put several strokes together, teaching us to move from one stroke to another smoothly and without hurting ourselves.  Without these basic conditioning exercises, we could have really done some damage to ourselves!  Only after mastering the basics, did we move into full Karate forms which simulate a fight with two or more opponents.

God’s Word is actually compared to a sword in Hebrews 4:12.  “For the Word of God is alive and powerful.  It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword…”  and also in Ephesians 6:17b, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”  God’s Word is much like our martial arts swords; you must learn how to use this sword skillfully, or you and/or others can be hurt. 

We are encouraged to learn to divide the Word of God correctly.  The New Living Translation, which I value for daily devotional reading, puts it this way:   “…correctly explain the Word of Truth.”   The Bible is an amazing collection of writings and the only written book with which I have ever experienced having a real relationship!  What are some ways you are training right now with the Word of Truth, the sword of the Spirit”?  Where would you say you are in the process of learning to correctly explain the Word of Truth?  Keep in mind, that even as black belts in Karate, we have just mastered the very basics of the art.  There is a lifetime of learning still ahead!  Likewise, to plumb the depths of the Scriptures will take me through my entire life as my roots grow deeper down into the love of God I find in its pages.  This is one type of sword training I will never “age out of”, unlike my practice of the martial arts!