{"id":6950,"date":"2021-01-02T15:52:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-02T05:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/?p=6950"},"modified":"2021-01-02T15:52:36","modified_gmt":"2021-01-02T05:52:36","slug":"readings-sharper-than-any-two-edged-sword","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/readings-sharper-than-any-two-edged-sword\/","title":{"rendered":"Readings: Sharper than any Two Edged Sword"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The Bible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

New Testament Passage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 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. 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. – Hebrews 4:11-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion Questions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
  1. St Paul describes the Word of God as a two-edged sword. What is the significance of a two-edged sword and how can we allow it to guide our lives?<\/li>
  2. The Word of God discerns intention from appearances. How can we use the Bible to ensure that our intentions remain pure despite what our worldly reputation may be?<\/li>
  3. The more we read the Bible, the more it cleanses us, but it is also important to study and understand what we read. What are some practical ways we can balance quality and quantity of Bible reading?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Old Testament Passage<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
    \u201cPrepare the way of the Lord;
    Make straight]in the desert
    A highway for our God.
    Every valley shall be exalted
    And every mountain and hill brought low;
    The crooked places shall be made straight
    And the rough places smooth;
    The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    And all flesh shall see it together;
    For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.\u201d
    The voice said, \u201cCry out!\u201d
    And he said, \u201cWhat shall I cry?\u201d
    \u201cAll flesh is grass,
    And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
    The grass withers, the flower fades,
    Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
    Surely the people are grass.
    The grass withers, the flower fades,
    But the word of our God stands forever.\u201d – Isaiah 40:3-8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Discussion Questions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    1. The words of Isaiah reveal great faith and zeal for our Lord. How can we attain such virtues so that we too, become the voice of one crying in the wilderness? <\/li>
    2. The Bible is God\u2019s love letter to each one of us. Reflect on a time where you have sought refuge in the Bible and felt the Word of God speaking directly to you. While your problems may not have gone away immediately, there is comfort in knowing that God is in control. What are some passages that we can look to in future to remind us of His divine providence?<\/li><\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The Bible New Testament Passage Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 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 … Continue reading “Readings: Sharper than any Two Edged Sword”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[357,358],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-small-groups","category-small-groups-small-groups"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6950"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6971,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6950\/revisions\/6971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stmark.com.au\/Blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}