The word of God, a truly awe-inspiring and powerful resource, is a blessing God has given us. In our homes, we often find multiple copies of the Bible and even multiple Bible apps on our phones. Yet, if we were to honestly assess how frequently we genuinely engage with God’s word, we might find it falls short of what we truly need.
At times, we may spend time in God’s word, but our motivations may be self-centred. For instance, we might search and read scriptures solely to find blessings, to proclaim and declare all the good things over our lives, with the sole aim of personal gain.
Instead of approaching the scriptures with a self-centred mindset, I urge you to read them to better understand who God is, His character, His requirements, and His precepts. This will help us, His children, live for the glory of His name. As we do so, our love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, will deepen. Our heart attitude should shift towards valuing Christ above all else. Amen!
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
In other words, what Paul is encouraging us to do is to feast on God’s word, to saturate our spirit with His word, let the word of God wash over our souls, to speak to us, to be embedded in our hearts, to make a permanent dwelling place in us, to dig deep, to unpack word on word, and as you do so you will see a change in your focus, in your character, and in your outlook to God and toward others.
That is why in the earlier verses in Colossians 3:5-15, we are encouraged to put off the old and put on the new. It is as we seek and set our eyes on Christ; to do so, we need the Word to dwell richly in us.
But notice, it is not only for our benefit; in fact, it is for the benefit of others, too. The passage asks for the word to dwell richly in us so that we can teach and encourage one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts.
So, there is an individual aspect as well as a corporate one. As you allow God’s word to saturate you and your relationship with Him, you can let that flow into the lives of others to guide them along the path of all righteousness, encouraging and admonishing one another in the Lord for the glory of the Father. Amen!
