A Sword

"³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." - Matthew 10:34 (KJV)

What is the point of a sword, if we don't know how to use it, and use it well? Suffice it to say, that if Jesus tells us He came to send us a sword instead of peace, it's because we are going to need to use that sword. And when He gives it to us, I personally don't think He meant for us to wield it weakly, but rather with an understanding steady hand, standing on The Word, our sure foundation. That being said, when it comes to any sort of fighting, getting that training in is vital.  Least we end up like that guy....

As someone who has seen a lot of Martial Arts films growing up, what comes to mind for me when I think of a sword might be a little different from others..... Anytime someone mentions fighting or swords, some of the first images that come to mind are from Martial Arts films where someone expertly wields the weapon as an extension of themselves. In other words, the fighter has made the weapon a part of him or herself, so that it is no longer a fighter with a sword, but just the fighter. But before a fighter in training really starts handling their respective weapon halfway decently, they first have to go through a bunch of training.

Now some of this training seems insanely difficult and completely unnecessary to the fighter who just wants to hurry up and look cool with their awesome weapon. But normally there is some wise Master around saying "NO!" and then making the fighter go through a bunch of crazy physically intensive stuff. Often times, as can be demonstrated by this video with great scenes from some old school Jackie Chan Martial Arts films, the Master seems like they are just having fun making things harder for the trainee. However, the Master knows that making things difficult isn't designed to take the student out, but to produce a better fighter in the end.

In my humble opinion, when it comes to who we are down here on earth Jesus wanted us to make The Word an extension of ourselves, so tightly interwoven that it is hard to tell where we end and The Word begins. We have to make it ours, make it personal. But what does that take? Well it takes training, and if you have seen ANY Martial Arts films, you'll know that that training is vital to the success or failure of a fighter. Sure, the fighter might be born with some natural abilities, maybe even some real raw talent, but that rawness needs to be refined. Because after that refining there is a better overall fighter. Like natural like spiritual, when we study The Word and allow it to truly become an extension of who we are, we are READY for whatever trial/fight comes our way. That training helps out a LOT, so we won't face our trials/fights in life like this guy....