Watch how you swing that Sword!

Frank came by my office to drop off a pistol he was letting me use for target practice. After he left, I took the firearm in my hand to see how it balanced, raised it to eye level and pointed upwards towards the corner of my office. On impulse, I pulled the trigger. Bang! It actually fired! The concussion shook me, not just physically, but emotionally. I broke the first law of gun safety! I handled a deadly weapon without first checking the chamber for a round. I assumed, very wrongly, that Frank, an experienced gun owner, wouldn't transport the gun without making sure it was unloaded. Always check your deadly weapon before handling it! The lesson, learned 15 years ago, remains with me to this day. I've never picked up another gun without being certain about whether it is loaded and ready to fire. Thankfully, the result of my stupidity was nothing more serious than a small hole in the sheetrock near the ceiling and a very damaged pride.

• Do you realize the power of the Bible, the power that the Scripture's Truth can wield?
  Do you handle that Word with care and skill?

I am sad to admit that I didn't always use the Word in a manner that was appropriate to the power that is packed into it, nor was I necessarily concerned with using it in a way that ultimately produced wholeness. It was my practice to quote Scripture in a rather indiscriminate way that labeled and judged the actions of others-- Bang, Bang, Bang! Another sinner shot through by the Truth!

In my way of thinking, there were absolutes - and it was my God-given responsibility to make sure that everybody knew what was right and what was wrong. If someone got hurt in the process, oh well... that was just the inevitable result of 'telling the Truth!' Today, I realize that would be like a police officer taking out his pistol at every traffic stop and firing off a few rounds, just for effect, unconcerned if somebody got hurt or killed. Police are armed for a purpose. On rare occasions they are allowed to use their weapon with deadly force, but every good officer dreads the day he would have to use that authority.

The Psalmist lauds the power of the Word to heal: "You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you. By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction." (Psalm 107:19-20, CEV) Isn't that remarkable? God's Word is a healing word. Yes, the implications are far greater than just healing for our physical ills. He speaks to draw us back from danger, to guide us away from destruction, to bring wholeness into our lives.

The Word of God does cut deeply! "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV) The Word is like a surgeon's scalpel, cutting into us but for the purpose of excising from our hearts and minds those attitudes and ideas that are diseased and death-producing.

The Word is described as a Sword, an offensive weapon given to us for our protection! "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) The modern equivalent - the sidearm. Hence, my opening illustration.

Take this instruction with you today. Ask yourself if you are showing proper respect for the power of the Word, if you are a skilled user of the Sword of the Spirit.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)