DWELL
Read Time: 5 min 09 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Your faith will not fail while God sustains it; you are not strong enough to fall away while God is resolved to hold you."
J.I. Packer
THE GOOD STUFF
DWELL
by Kevin Adams | Kids Ministry Director
When I was in 6th grade, my middle school held a school-wide reading competition. There was a list of books and each had a quiz. When I'd finish a book, I'd take the quiz and start the next book. At the end of the competition, I had read 106 books and finished in the top 3 in the school.
Being able to read quickly and have good reading comprehension served me well in school. However, it has not always been a helpful skill in reading my Bible. For too long, I read the Bible fast just like I read everything else. There was not a lot of stopping and pondering until the Lord taught me to slow down.
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."
I've recently spent 6 weeks in Colossians, slowly dwelling on the word of Christ by reading 2 to 3 verses a day, praying, and journaling.
Dwelling on the word of Christ has helped me in three significant ways:
1. It helps me put off the old self and put on the new self (Col 3:9-10).
We must be equipped to put off the old self by putting sin to death. Pride, arrogance, malice, bitterness, and anger are sins crouching at the door. When we dwell on the gospel, we are led to worship God, be filled with thanksgiving, and strive to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. Paul reminds us in the same section of the riches of Christ that we are to put on such as kindness, patience, humility, forgiveness, thankfulness, and love (Col. 3:12-15)
2. It helps me grow in the knowledge of my Savior who has given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
When we take the time to be filled and surrounded by the message of the gospel, we are constantly reminded of who God is and all that He has done. The Bible says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of creation, and all things were created through Him and for Him. The supremacy and sufficiency of Christ are so glorious, yet we miss it without taking time to dwell on His word. As I know Jesus more and more, I pray to look like Him. And He is everything I need to live a godly life.
3. It helps me run with endurance the race that is set before me (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Too often in Christian circles, we are overly scared of burnout. We are afraid that we may give too much of our lives to the Lord and burn out in exhaustion. However, the Bible seems to offer a different perspective. Rather than consider what we can handle in our own strength and stop there, the Bible challenges us to surrender all to Jesus. We are reminded that when we are weak, He is strong. That we should have joy in trials. That we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and daily carry our cross. In our own strength, this all would be impossible, but with God all things are possible. Dwelling in the word of Christ gives us the power to run the race with endurance and never grow weary of doing good.
So, what's the big takeaway? Right before Jesus left this Earth, He gave His disciples one last command: To go make disciples. People who want to obey our King and make disciples know they must be filled and surrounded by the word of Christ. Dwell richly in His word and live a life worthy of Jesus.