Colossians 3:16 - Ingrained and Engraved.
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) 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.
COMMENTARY PEARL
For seven years, American pilot Howard
Rutledge was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. In
his memoir, he wrote that on his first New
Years Day of captivity, he made three resolutions
that he repeated each year.
First, he would try never to be cold
again. Second, he would try never to be hungry
again. And third, he would never be without the
Bible again.
He wanted the Bible ingrained in his mind
and engraved on his heart.
Its interesting how our priorities can
change. Thats why Bible memorization is so
important. We have only so much room in our minds. Just
as computers have a specific amount of memory
to hold information, we have only so much
memory in the minds that God has given us.
So many of us know the latest gossip
about Hollywood celebrities, or we can recite
sports statistics or other interesting facts. But
are we taking the time to fill our minds with
the Word of God? When we get Gods Word into
our minds, it will stay with us forever. And
when were tempted, well have it to recall
and use.
For instance, when the devil temped Jesus
in the wilderness, Jesus defended Himself again
and again with the Scriptures. And the apostle
Paul referred to Gods Word as the sword of
the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).
The psalmist wrote, I have hidden your
word in my heart, that I might not sin against
you (Psalm 119:11 NLT). This is essentially
saying that our hearts will be kept by Gods Word
because we keep Gods Word in our hearts.
Lets not waste our memory banks.
Lets fill them with important information. Its
great to carry the Bible in your pocket, backpack,
or purse. Its also great to have it on your
phone. But the best place to carry the Bible is in
your heart. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
What should a believer's relationship be to
the Word of God?
In Colossians 3:16, Paul says to "let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly. This is
Scripture, the Holy Spirit inspired Scripture, the word
of revelation He brought into the world.
"Dwell means "to live in or "to be at home,
and "richly may be more fully rendered
"abundantly or extravagantly rich. Scripture should
permeate every aspect of the believer's life and
control every thought, word, and deed (Ps. 119:11;
Matt. 13:9; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 2:15). This concept
is parallel to being filled with the Spirit in
Ephesians 5:18 since the results of each are the same.
In Ephesians 5:18, the power and motivation for
all the effects is the filling of the Holy
Spirit; here it is the word richly dwelling. Those
two realities are really one. The Holy Spirit
fills the life controlled by His Word. This
emphasizes that the filling of the Spirit is not some
ecstatic or emotional experience, but a steady
controlling of the life by obedience to the truth of
God's Word.
"Teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (v. 7). The
early church sang the Psalms. Old Testament psalms
put to music, primarily, but the term was used
also of vocal music in general. "Hymns" - perhaps
songs of praise distinguished from the Psalms
which exalted God, in that they focused on the
Lord Jesus Christ. "Spiritual songs - probably
songs of personal testimony expressing truths of
the grace of salvation in Christ. "With grace in
your hearts to the Lord" - not just public, but
private. The Lord Himself is both the source and the
object of the believer's song-filled heart. That
such music pleases God can be seen in the account
of the temple dedication, when the singing so
honored the Lord that His glory came down (2 Chr.
5:12, 14). [MacArthur Daily Bible 2003]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Colossians 3:16 - How To Let The Word Of
Christ Dwell In You Richly.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200424-0921.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160127-0849.html
Colossians 3:16: Let The Word Of Christ
Dwell In You Richly:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20101007-1310.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
