August 30
The Word, a powerful weapon
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
“O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord” (Jer. 22:29).
In our Protestant land where the Bible is taken for granted, we are apt to forget the impact the first simple reading of the Gospel story can have. Is it not possible for us today to read its simple passages expecting it to affect us and others as powerfully as it did the persons in the following story?
The story is told of a colporteur in Sicily, trudging along the road in the gloaming with still a few miles to travel to his destination. A black-cloaked rider came cantering up behind him and demanded to know what was in his bag. He had fallen into the hands of one of Sicily’s brigand chiefs! The bag was opened and the books displayed. “Ah ha! You are the man who sells pestilential books which corrupt the morals of simple people. I have heard about you.