Dear Church,

Moses in his swan song before his death exhorted the Israelites saying, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47).  In this exhortation, he made it very clear that the Word of God is a matter of life and death.  Everything in life hangs on the Word of God!  To treat the Scriptures as empty words is as good as forfeiting life itself.

Indeed, even our physical life depends on the Word of God, because by His Word all things were created (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3) and the author of Hebrews Jesus as the one who “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).  Concerning our spiritual life, it is the Word of God that initiates the work of salvation in our lives: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18); “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

In the sermon yesterday, Brother Tom spoke about the process of sanctification or becoming more like Jesus and even there, we are dependent on the Word of God to live the Christian life.  As Brother Tom pointed out, one of the challenges we face as followers of Christ is the downward pull of temptation and Jesus demonstrated in his own temptation in the wilderness that the way to resist and overcome temptation is by dwelling on the Word of God: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Mathew 4:4). 

Our physical life begins and is sustained by the Word of God; Our spiritual life is awakened and sustained by the Word of God. This is incredible testimony to the life-giving power of the Word of God!  Truly, the Scripture is “no empty word for you” it is life and the source of joy in life!

Stay blessed and have a great week!

Gordon Chinamasa