My very first knife was a tiny pink Swiss Army knife. Quite a few years ago, I remember going to the local gun show on a Saturday, and my parents telling me that I was finally old enough for a knife. They even let me pick out the color! I thought I was getting a steal of a deal. Not only was I getting a knife, but I was also receiving a screwdriver, scissors, toothpick, tweezers, and a nail file. The knife and the screwdriver were on the same side, and my parents told me I had to be very careful. The knife was going to be dangerous if I didn’t treat it with respect. I told them I knew what I was doing (um, hello…who confuses a knife with a screwdriver? I mean, really. I may be young but I know what I’m doing). They asked the gentleman selling the knife if he would dull the blade. He handed it over as he replied that he would not. He stated that it would hurt a lot more if it was dull and that there would come a time when I would cut myself. He paused and then continued saying that would be the only way I would learn to respect the blade. 

We drove back home, and I kept flipping the screwdriver open and playing with it. I liked running my thumb along the smooth edge. My younger sister was probably a bit jealous, but my parents consoled her with the fact that when she was old enough, she would get one of her own, too. 

By the time we get home, I had gotten really good at being able to open it up one-handed. I stayed away from the blade, making sure to not flip over the Swiss Army knife which would then cause the sharp instrument to be on top. We go inside, and I show my parents how good I am at opening it up. Once again, I hear, “That’s good, Reagan. Be careful and watch what you’re doing.” I happily reply, “Oh, it’s only the screwdriver, I haven’t touched the knife. I’ll be super careful.” I bet you can tell where I’m going with this.

Probably about 30 minutes after we got home, I have become so good at what I’m doing that I can open the screwdriver without even looking. I run my thumb along the edge, because that’s just what I do, and Dad says, “Reagan, you’re bleeding.”

I quickly look down. I had not opened the screwdriver. I had opened the knife and had just sliced my thumb open (thank goodness the gentleman had NOT dulled the blade). I stand there, over the white carpet, with the open knife in my hand. Dad takes the knife and helps me clean my thumb and put on a Band-Aid. I don’t even think I got a lecture on exactly how stupid that was. All they told me was that I had to be really careful and then they handed the knife back. I didn’t even ask for it. At that point, I kind of wanted to just let them confiscate it. But they wouldn’t. They told me that I couldn’t let my mistake keep me from enjoying and using knives. 

The knife stayed in my pocket for a while. It took me a couple of hours to actually pull it out and open it. This time, I was very careful. I watched what I was doing, paid attention, and used both hands. Maybe I wasn’t so good at it as I had thought I was. But I had learned an important lesson. Knives were to be respected. You don’t play with them and assume that you know how to use them until you’re properly trained (my parents taught this lesson to me first with a knife, and I am so thankful that they did. PSA: If a knife can cause that much damage, so can a firearm. Until you know how to properly use it, don’t go around pretending that you do. And ALWAYS respect them, whether loaded or unloaded. Don’t be an idiot). 

That experience did not stop me from loving knives. Right now, I have somewhere around 15 in my collection, which only keeps growing. Of course, I have my favorites, but my Swiss Army knife will always remind me of the important lesson I learned. 

The other day, I was reading through Hebrews and came across this verse:

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged 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.” 

– Hebrews 4:12

The Bible mentions that God’s Word is sharper than a two-edged sword. Let’s be good scholars and look up what exactly a two-edged sword means. To put the dictionary’s definition into a quick phrase, a two-edged sword has no dull part on the blade. Both sides of the sword are super sharp and will readily cut. 

After some further investigation on the topic, I came across Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 6. 

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” 

– Acts 6:51-53

Those people that Stephen was talking to were not happy with his above statements. He had called them stiff-necked, resistors of the Holy Ghost, and lawbreakers. Acts 6:9 tells us that those that accused Stephen were certain members of the synagogue. The fact that Saul, who proudly proclaimed himself to be a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), was present for Stephen’s death shows that there were many religious people there. Note, I said religious – not saved. They were highly offended that God (through Stephen) had pointed out their sins, and they didn’t want to change. This attitude is demonstrated below:

“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.”

– Acts 6:54

These people were cut to the heart by the double-edged Word of God. As I did when I sliced my thumb, they needed a Band-Aid, and God was the only one who could provide the right size. Just like I had a choice about giving up on my knife (I could’ve left it on a shelf somewhere and never touched it again), God gives people the choice of following His Word or leaving it on a shelf to never be picked up again (until Easter and Christmas come around, of course). You will get cut by God’s Word. He is showing you where you fail in life when doing so. He only does it to help you grow through Him and enjoy your Christian life so much more. It’s not pleasant, but the end result is amazing. 

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” 

– Proverbs 3:11-12

You have a choice, and it is freely yours to make. When you get cut by God’s Word, you can leave it and never read it again. You’ll get to Heaven – you have your fire insurance after all. But you will miss out on so much more! If I had never picked my Swiss Army knife back up, I would never have gotten such an awesome knife collection that continues to grow. If you never pick God’s Word up, then you will not be able to grow in your life. I’ll level with you – it’s never comfortable to be cut (whether spiritually or physically), but it is necessary to help you learn of God’s ways, grow in wisdom and grace, and give God the reverence and respect that He deserves. Don’t be religious and think you know everything about God and His Word and that you don’t need to allow Him to fix you when you’re convicted. But it’s your choice. So what will it be? 

If you do not know 100% that you will be going to Heaven when you die, now is the time to repent and put your faith and trust in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions or doubts about your salvation, click here to read how you can be saved.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.