Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38 NIV

According to one of the stories passed along the internet an elderly woman had just returned home from a church service when she was startled by an intruder who was robbing her home. Without hesitation she yelled, “Stop! Acts 2:38!” (Which reads in The Good News Bible, “Each one of you must turn away from his sins.”). The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. The woman calmly phoned the police and explained what she’d done. Later, as the officer was cuffing the man, he asked the burglar, “Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a Scripture at you.” “Scripture?” replied the burglar. “I thought she said she had an axe and two .38’s!”

I don’t know whether the story is true but I do know that “The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” Hebrews 4:12.

Yes, the Bible is alive. It cuts through everything. We can’t get away from it – no matter what. There is no book like it. It outlasts, outranks and outruns all other books. It’s the Book of books, an impregnable rock, the noblest of all literature, a perennial spring of wisdom, a strong staff, a healing balm, an anchor in the storms of life, an infallible guide of conduct, a light on the pathway in the darkest night, the champion of human liberties, an unfailing source of comfort, the revelation of the only way out of this present world into a better one, a living power, a love letter, and the very Word of God in the inspired speech of humanity.

Which means the Bible has the ability to speak to us, run after us, get inside us, and lay hold of us. No wonder it punctures all pretense, solves every great problem of life, answers the questions of the soul, awakens men and women opiated by sin, and … helps little old ladies capture burglars.