Changed By the Word

Jesus, the living Word, is alive in us. The Bible tells us in John 1 that Jesus is the Word who became flesh - the embodiment of God's truth. He lives in our hearts and will bring the Word alive in us. Hebrews 4 states:
9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

This passage reminds us that we can "enter in" to God's rest, which I believe is a sense of total dependence on Him and what He has to say to us. We grow in that condition as we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, reading and studying and considering what He has to say to us. As we do that, we can experience the "living and active" qualities - certainly, we grow in knowledge, but it's more than that, it's actually become more like Jesus in what we think and ultimately what we do as we act on what we have learned.

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We can depend on the teachings of God's Word to instruct us, to light the way that we walk, to cause faith to arise in our hearts, so that we might grow in our devotion to the Lord. Here is a passage from Psalm 119:
130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.
132 Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

I believe very strongly that Jesus changes lives.  Each of us, if we have been born again, were sinners who deserved eternal punishment, but our Savior, because of what He did on the cross and through His resurrection, offered us a lifeline, He became our rescuer.  So, even the most hardened criminal, the most deviant predator, the most greedy business person, and the most pathological liar, can change and receive a new heart through Jesus.

Once that change has occurred, through believing on Jesus by faith, we must truly walk as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He has given us a guidebook - not only by His earthly example, as the Word who became flesh, but by the internal empowerment that occurs as we decide to study and apply His truth.

Recently, the American Bible Society released survey data that highlights the transformational capability of the Bible, and it was reported on by ChristianHeadlines.com, which stated, "The study...found that 92 percent of Bible users – defined as those who read Scripture three or four times a year apart from church – say that 'the message of the Bible has transformed my life.'”

The story cites a Society analysis that said, “Ultimately, Bible Use isn’t only about opening a book or an app...It’s about interacting with God. And when people connect with God in Scripture, their lives change, their attitudes change, their values change.” And, the article notes that the research found, "Surprisingly, 38 percent of non-Bible users also agree with the statement the “message of the Bible has transformed my life..."

The data, presented in the American Bible Society's State of the Bible: USA 2022 report, dug into the method by which people studied the Bible. The findings show:

• 48 percent indicated "they read a few verses at a time,"
• 40 percent said that they read passages according to their "mood,"
• 32 percent read "full chapters or stories,"
• about a quarter of respondents said they used a "schedule, plan or program," and
• 22 percent indicated that they read "at the same time each day."

The finding that over a-third of respondents who don't read the Bible regularly say that it has changed their lives indicates the potential for even a non-believer, by exposure to the Word of God, can have faith produced in his or her heart.  Romans 10 states that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God - so exposure to the Word can have an effect.  Isaiah tells us that the Word will not return void.  The faith to believe in Jesus, to be saved, arises from the entrance of God's Word, which brings light.

Every day, we can be reminded that we need the life-giving truth of the Word, so that we can experience its active qualities. If we merely read the words on a page, we get more of a two-dimensional effect, but I don't think that's totally worthless - it's better than nothing. But if we really dig in, memorizing, studying, and meditating on Scripture, we can discover a richness in God's words to us, which will really change our lives.  The Word is living and will live and grow in us.