Some years ago the Wilkinson Sword Company conducted a contest and advertised it as follows: “Fifty lucky persons will win an authentic Wilkinson Infantry Sword, the same sword used in Royal Parades and the Trouping of the Colors. Just think what it will mean to a lucky winner when this sword hangs over their fireplace or on a rec room wall!”
That may be all well and good, but swords are really for battle, not for display. And so it is with the Bible, the Christian’s spiritual sword. God meant for us to use it in battle, to use it as a weapon against the many temptations that attack us every day. No “sword” sitting on a coffee table on “display” and unopened will be a defense against Satan’s assaults upon our devotion to Christ.
Let’s not just make our Bibles a living room decoration, but a vital weapon to be used for our defense, not just display.
