Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. — Colossians 3:16
Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to enter into a lot of homes. In my time working as a paramedic, I would go into someone’s home for various reasons. Sometimes, the situation was not a major emergency and we had the opportunity to talk. They would often show us photos and things around their home.
For most of us, we know the things that are in our home. Even if something is not as valuable to you, there’s a chance you have an idea where it is and how to access it. We know where our keepsakes are. Truthfully, you could probably take anyone in your home to the things that you value the most very quickly.
As you study the original definitions of the writings of Colossians, the King James Version translates a word as “dwell.” In the original text, it was the word “οἰκέω” meaning to occupy a house. It means to live in something and to be present. Paul was saying that we should take the word of Christ, those found in the Bible, and live in them.
We can all no doubt take that and relate it to our own homes and lives. We know our homes and we know what they contain. We can take you to the important parts and share things with others when we need to. Could we do the same with the word of God?
Paul’s challenge was that they live in God’s word and that challenge applies well to us today. As Christians, we need to live in God’s word, know what it contains, and how to find things it contains to help us through life. Its pages are filled with help for situations and circumstances that we face each day. Are we truly living in God’s word?
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