The Living Word of God (Daily Refresh, 1-30-26)

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Bible is that it’s just another book.

In fact, many Christians treat Scripture as if it’s just a collection of ancient letters and books that inform us about God and religious matters.

While the Bible is certainly a collection of ancient documents, it is also much more than that. It is the very word of God. The Bible is inspired by God, which means He spoke through humans to create these letters and books.

More than that though, God’s Word is living and active. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to speak to us even today. This is what makes Scripture distinct from any other book.

James tells us in James 1:22 that the power of Scripture doesn’t just come by hearing it, but by living it out.

Scripture has the power to radically change the way we live, but we must take the effort to first read it, and then do what it says.

James goes on to say in verses 23 and 24 that anyone who reads Scripture and doesn’t follow God’s way is only deceiving themselves. We think we are following God simply by reading His Word, but God desires that we live out the truths of Scripture in our own life.

This is what it means to follow God’s way rather than our own.

Take a moment to consider a few ways you can begin to live out the truths in Scripture. Spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal to you an area of your life that needs transformed by His Word. And then, resolve to not just hear God’s Word, but to do what He says as you follow after Him.

My Thoughts

When I read this devotional today, my mind automatically went to Hebrews 4:12 which says, “For the word of God is alive and active.” I must confess that in memorizing that verse, I generally overlooked this part and went on to the “Sharper than any double-edged sword” part. I think for years that I missed the importance of the first part of the verse. Why is God’s word alive and active? Two reasons come to mind. First, because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit and God speaks through the Spirit to each of us, if we are listening, of course. But the second reason is also a valid one, I think, that came to me as I was meditating this morning on the devotional. It’s alive because it lives in each of us. We walk it, talk it and live it. And through us, others who may never pick up a Bible get to see the “alive and active” word of God. When we do what the Bible says, we are showing all those around us the truth and the power that is in God’s word and that spurs us to live as “little Christs” or Christians. I hope this devotional encourages each of us to “do” the word so that we are demonstrating that Christ lives in us all the time, and not just on Sundays in church.