Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God”
Blessings Bethany Family! I pray this week is filled with God’s presence and blessing. I know that much of that hinges on the quiet presence of God’s word in your daily life. When Paul said that the word should be allowed to dwell in us richly, what did he mean? What is the application for us?
As humans, we are capable of containing many things in our minds and hearts at any given time. Some of these things are part of our daily routines and require some time and energy, but rarely reach a level of committed passion, a place of dwelling in us richly. I have been convicted as I evaluate the place God’s word has in my daily life of often briefly allowing God’s word to pass through my awareness, perhaps out of habit or guilt. This is not the picture Paul was encouraging the church to strive for.
There are things that dwell in us richly, that evoke interest and passion in seconds, things that are never far from our awareness. I don’t know what those things are for you, but they all take up valuable space in your mind! As I studied for the sermon last week about God’s word, I found myself asking the Father for a renewal of passion for his word, not only as the reliable authority in my life, the source of truth and wisdom and life, but a rich, indwelling, constantly present reminder of Christ’s abiding presence.
While there are so many books and sermons available by brilliant authors and biblical teachers, none of these can cause the Word to dwell in us richly. They may inspire us and encourage us as we walk with Christ, but cannot be a substitute for the pure word itself. Paul continues by saying that our teaching and discipling of one another, our songs and worship of Christ should all be coming from the richly indwelling word that abides in us.
There are many plans for reading scripture, daily structured plans to keep us on track. Unfortunately, none of these plans come with desire or hunger for God’s word! If you find yourself, as I sometimes do, lacking in hunger and desire for his word, ask the Father to give you a renewed hunger for this very thing. I have found that this prayer of faith is one God loves to answer because ultimately it will allow his word to dwell in us richly, shaping our lives for his glory. This will also help us to bear witness to the good news of his salvation for others to see.