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Sharpen Your Sword!

September 2nd, 2008 by Jeremy Sprouse

Growing up I was always fascinated with swords. Every movie with even a hint of a sword fight was one I wanted to see. I had books about them and I practiced the sport of fencing with my friends. In fact, fencing is how I met my wife. Today, I am still enthralled, but what captures my attention even more is the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). Over my years of fascination with swords, I have drawn some parallels between metal swords and God’s sword. These parallels can help us get the most out of our spiritual swords.
First, we need to use our swords daily. When fencing, I was only at my best when I practiced daily. It didn’t have to be a long practice; sometimes just 5 or 10 minutes was adequate. Every day of skipped practiced resulted not only in lack of improvement, but I actually lost some of the skills I had gained. It is the same with our Bibles. We need to keep God’s Word fresh in our minds. David meditated on God’s Word night and day (cf. Psalm 1:1-2). He woke up thinking about God’s Word and went to sleep thinking about God’s Word. Surely this contributed to David being a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
Second, we need to study our swords. To use a sword well, you have to do more than just swing it around. You have to study the most effective ways to move and use your sword. In the same way, we need to do more than casually read a few Scriptures to get the most out of our Bibles. We need to read with a mind to learn and apply it to our lives. Too often we read and forget God’s Word (cf. James 1:23-25). What good is that? 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us we need to be diligent to handle God’s Word accurately. We need to ask what does this Scripture mean? What is the point the author is trying to get across? How does it fit in with what he has been saying? And, how does this apply to me?
Third, we need to keep our swords at hand. Now matter how well you can use a sword, it is useless sitting in a corner somewhere in your house. You have to keep it with you if you want to use it. In the same way, a Bible does no good collecting dust on a shelf. Think of all the opportunities for Bible study sprinkled throughout your day: while waiting for a doctor’s appointment or other meeting, while taking a break at work, while waiting for a class to start, and so on. Having the Bible on tape is a great way to study on the go in your car. An added benefit to having your Bible with you is it will be on hand if you have a discussion about Jesus or the Bible (and hopefully you will).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am and is filed under Bible Study Tips.

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