A great encouragement is found in Colossians 3:16a “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” Why is it important to have the word of Christ dwell in you richly? The main reason is that Jesus Christ has the words of life. Jesus said in John 6:63b “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” They are words that bring eternal life. John 6:68 “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” As a fellow believer, I am confident that you desire eternal life; you will then want to have the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
Having the word of Christ in you will help you overcome temptation. In Matthew chapter 4, we have recorded the temptation of Jesus by the devil. Three temptations are given. For each temptation, Jesus responded with “It is written”. Jesus knew the word of the Holy Scriptures and He was able to combat the temptations with the word. When the word of Christ dwells in you richly and you are faced with temptation, the word will come to you to help you find the way out of the temptation. When you face times of trial or times of discouragement, the word of Christ dwelling within you can help you in those times as well. The promises of God that you have hidden in your heart should comfort you. When faced with a decision in any area of your life, the word in your heart will contain guidance on the steps you should take.
Throughout your life, people will question you as to why you believe as you do and why you live as you live. You must be ready to give an answer. 1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” You need to have the word of Christ dwell in you richly so that you will be able to give the appropriate answer.
The Israelites were commanded to keep the words of the law in their heart and in their soul. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.” The words of the Law of Moses were to be ever before them. They were to teach the words to their children and write it in many locations so that they could see and be reminded of the words. They were to constantly talk about them. The Jews of the time of Jesus wore phylacteries which were small strips of parchments, with portions of the Law written on them. They were fastened by a leather strap either to the forehead or to the left arm over against the heart, to remind the wearer of the duty of keeping the commandments of God in the head and in the heart.
So how can you get the word of Christ to dwell within you? The main way is to read and study the Bible. Have a time set aside in your day for reading the Bible. If you can, listen to the recorded reading of the Bible. Most of us do not have the ability to read something once and have it perfect in our memory and understand it completely. You need to read the Bible over and over again to put the word within you. You need to meditate on the word frequently. Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” And you need to study the Bible to understand what it means and how you can apply it in your life.
Look at the full verse that we started with. Colossians 3:16 “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.” Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are rich with Biblical principles. Having good Christian music on your lips and in your head will help put the word of Christ in your heart.
I encourage you to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. Christ has the words of eternal life.