Hebrews 1:1-3 In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, ² [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].³ He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,…

Three things really stand out to me when I read this passage: Revelations, God Spoke, and the Mighty Word of Power. The summer before I went to college (1981) I was terrified of going. I had only been walking with Jesus in a conscious, personal relationship for only a year and a half. I did not want to lose what I had with the Lord. My plan of action was to not work a part-time job that summer seeking to draw near to Him. Back then I didn’t know that’s what it was called – I just did it. Mostly I spent my time reading, memorizing, and studying the Word – praying about what I discovered in its’ pages. I had no idea the transformation it was making, the revelations that were coming to me, and how God was using it to speak to me. I had no idea until some friends from church invited me to go swimming in a creek located behind a golf course not far from my home. The only way we knew to get to that swimming hole was through the woods located on the other side. There was a footpath worn through the woods which ended abruptly with a twelve to fifteen foot cliff dropping off to the creek below. The scene offered you a breath-taking view of the golf course, the cliff, and the meandering creek. Whenever we visited this site we were compelled to run down the path, leap out in the air, hurtling towards the creek below. The run was necessary in order to clear the four foot bank located at the bottom of the cliff. It was a great place to swim. But on this particular day, while we were swimming and having a good time, a group of boys who lived on the other side of the creek near the golf course, chose to invade our space. I was OK with that until one of them used some profanity. It was just one word. But that one word shot through me as if someone had slapped me in the face. I was startled and stunned by it. Now you have to understand why this was significant. I had used profanity from the time I was nine years old. I wasn’t a stranger to colorful language. What struck me in this moment was why and how one word had startled me. As I pondered the significance of that moment several things came into focus, and Jesus’ Words came to me in revelation that deepened my understanding of the power of His Words. All Scripture is God-breathed. The Holy Spirit was reminding me of things Jesus had said, and in that moment a Scripture came to life: You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (Jn. 15:3) That moment was significant because I realized the significance of my spending time in His Word and prayer. His Word had been cleansing me, and now a distinction had been made between sacred speech and profane speech. His word was upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling me. His Word had been cleansing, and setting me apart to Him, and for Him. The even more amazing thing? I wasn’t even conscious of its’ effect. Ephesians 5:26 refers to the “washing of the water of the Word.”

James 1:18 states: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth,...and 1 Peter 1:23 states: For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. You have been born-again, or spiritually birthed, by His Word. And you are a new creation in Jesus because of that Word. Your new being is made for that Word – nourished and strengthened by it. Like us teenagers, that summer of 1981, new creations are called to leap out into the deep things of God. You are called to plunge into and swim around in the deep waters of His Word. It calls to you. By faith, pursue it, and don’t forget to have fun in seeking the Wonders of Who He is. Become conscious of the impact of those words, and praise Him for the gift you hold in your hands. In all the world there’s not a Book like it.