It is an intersection

Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers wilt, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. (1 Peter 1:24-25)

For the past few days we have been looking intently at God's Word - how it impacts our lives, changing us from the inside out. Today's passage contains another important aspect of God's Word that we don't want to overlook - the ability for God's Word to 'conceive' new life in us. Think for a moment about how 'conception' happens in the natural sense. Two completely separate objects intersect and within that intersection the two become one. This is what God has in mind when he tells us his Word will 'conceive' new life within us - our life intersects with his and when that happens, we become one with him. We assume his character - forsaking our pretty flawed one. We take on his attitude - laying aside our pity, worry, anger, and pride. The 'two becoming one' thing is pretty awesome, but remember - - - it takes an 'intersection'.

Most will assume an intersection is nothing more than a place where two cross paths - allowing for a direction change where appropriate. They wouldn't be wrong in that observation - any intersection with God's Word is designed to bring about a 'direction change' of some sort. We are not to read it casually, so as to be unaffected by the truth contained therein. We are to read it with intention, allowing it to 'intersect' our thoughts, emotions, and willfulness. Did you know 'intersect' is just a fancy word for 'separate'? God's Word is doing the work of separating us from those things we need to leave behind and allowing us to see the things he is creating within us that will make us stronger in the journey.

When scripture references the ability of God's Word to 'separate', we need to remember this: God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what. (Hebrews 4:12) We are being told his Word is meant to 'intersect' our lives right where we live - moment by moment, not just on Sundays. The 'separating' of the good from the bad doesn't happen just because we have a casual acquaintance with the Word. It happens because we take the Word in regularly and allow it to begin to fashion us into the 'new creation' that was conceived at the point of that 'intersection'. Today could be a very important 'intersection' in your life, but if you are to make the right choices at that 'intersection', you will need to know how God purposes for you to respond. As he stand at that intersection waiting for us to enter, he begins the work of separating us from those things we don't need to carry along - those things we might describes as 'bothersome'. All of God's words have the power to conceive - to separate truth from fiction, holy from impure, good from bad, and peace from chaos. Maybe we all could benefit from a little bit of God's intersections today. Just sayin!