Sword of the Spirit Verses September 10, 2012
Why do we endeavor to memorize the Scriptures together,and why do we feature an “SOS verse” in our worship service every week? Hereare a few reasons.
The Bible is the most stabilizing, clarifying,life-changing force God has given us. When the Spirit wields the word, it’s adevastating weapon against unbelief, fear, pride, lust, greed, anger, laziness,self-pity, foolishness, immaturity, and every other spiritual ill in our lives.Have you ever met anyone who simultaneously quotes whole chapters of the Bibleand yet lives in the grip of some besetting sin? Me neither. In other words, Christiansthrive on the word of God and die for lack of it.
Imagine you were feeling ill and, after a checkup, thedoctor said, “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you arefatally sick. The good news is that your health will return, if you will eatthe foods on this list.” No doubt, you would follow his advice and change yourdiet. Your life depends on it!
Well, nothing has changed in the 3,000 years sinceMoses wrote: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comesfrom the mouth of the LORD” (Dt. 8:3). Spiritual health is impossible apartfrom the spiritual nourishment of the Scriptures! Your elders would be poorphysicians of the soul if we did not encourage you to apply this biblicalprescription for spiritual wellness.
Plus, memorizing and quoting the SOS verse can be anengaging and uniting activity as a family and as a congregation. In our family,we try to squeeze it in every morning before we head out the door for school.It’s a breath-catching, day-centering activity for us; and things just seem alittle bit “off” when we miss our SOS time in the morning. Plus, as a churchcongregation, the SOS verse provides us with a moment of participation andconnectedness in our worship services. It also says something to our guestsabout what we are passionate about as a church.
So what about you? This fall, we’ll be memorizing the TenCommandments as we follow the sermon series through Exodus 20. Won’t you joinus in feasting on the word of God each week as we memorize and meditate uponthe SOS verse?