READING: Jeremiah 15-17, 2 Timothy 2
“But the word of God is not bound!”
2 Timothy 2:9
Around the world are prisoners held against their will because they are Christians. By incarcerating them, their captors believe they can stop the spread of Christianity. “Bind them up,” they think, “and they’ll stop taking about Jesus.” Little do most of the captors know, though, what the Apostle Paul learned about the Word: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Tim. 2:8-9). It might be possible to stop a missionary by imprisoning him, but it’s not so easy to stop the spread of the Word of God. Today’s imprisoned missionary might be just like the apostle Paul, who sang God’s praises in a prison and even led a jailor to the Lord (Acts 16:25-34).
Enemies of the work of God can capture and persecute the preacher, but they can’t stop the preaching.
They can burn down the church, but the people will still gather to proclaim the Good News.
They might pass laws against evangelism, but the power of the gospel cannot be legislated away.
They might take away all the Bibles, but they cannot rip the Word from the believer’s heart.
No, the Word of God is not bound. It crosses geographical boundaries and cultural divides. It speaks across the ages. It captures the hearts of the young and old, the black and white, the rich and the poor, and educated and the uneducated. As previously noted, it gives the prisoner reason to sing, and it changes the life of the jailor.
Nevertheless, we too often take the Word of God for granted. May God forgive us.
ACTION STEPS:
- Thank the Lord for His Word today.
- Take time to read even more of the Bible today.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You that Your Word is potent.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Jeremiah 18-19, 2 Timothy 3