"Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly" Pt. 2

Here is the second in an instalment about Colossians 3:16--my ministry verse.  Check out part 1 here: theindwellingword.blogspot.com/2015/05/let-word-of-christ-dwell-in-you-richly

"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

In: We should not just read God’s Word, but really cause God’s Word to dwell inside of us, through memorization.

You: This Word is to dwell in us. God calls us to memorize His Word. This command is not reserved for pastors and missionaries. It is not limited to the young. This command stands for everyone. No matter who you are, or what your background looks like, you have been chosen by God and called to memorize Scripture. So many of us tend to make excuses saying, “I’m horrible at memorizing. I could never memorize!” or “I’m too old to memorize. Memorization is for young people.” Let me share a secret with you. Memorization is just like a muscle, the more we use it, the stronger it grows. In our childhood, we use our memory daily as we learn and grow. As we get older, we do not use our memory as much, so the muscle becomes weak. It will take a little effort at first, but memorization most certainly is possible for everyone. Not only that, but it is also commanded by the Most High God.

Richly: Many people can find excuses for memorizing one verse a year, but not with this little word. We find this same word used in 1 Timothy 6:17, “ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” How would you like it if how richly you memorized Scripture was how richly God gave you enjoyable things? God’s Word is to dwell in us with abundance, not just for a few minutes each day but all the time. Not just a couple verses, but indeed the whole Bible! Webster defines richly as, “Plenteously; abundantly; amply as, to be richly paid for services. The reading of ancient authors will richly reward us for the perusal. Truly; really; abundantly; fully; as a chastisement richly deserved.”

To sum up our study of this verse, I will share this quote from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Colossians 3:16:

To let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, Col. 3:16. The gospel is the word of Christ, which has come to us; but that is not enough, it must dwell in us, or keep house— enoikeō, not as a servant in a family, who is under another’s control, but as a master, who has a right to prescribe to and direct all under his roof. We must take our instructions and directions from it, and our portion of meat and strength, of grace and comfort, in due season, as from the master of the household. It must dwell in us; that is, be always ready and at hand to us in everything, and have its due influence and use. We must be familiarly acquainted with it, and know it for our good, Job 5:27. It must dwell in us richly: not only keep house in our hearts, but keep a good house. Many have the word of Christ dwelling in them, but it dwells in them but poorly; it has no mighty force and influence upon them. Then the soul prospers when the word of God dwells in us richly, when we have abundance of it in us, and are full of the scriptures and of the grace of Christ. And this in all wisdom. The proper office of wisdom is to apply what we know to ourselves, for our own direction. The word of Christ must dwell in us, not in all notion and speculation, to make us doctors, but in all wisdom, to make us good Christians, and enable us to conduct ourselves in everything as becomes Wisdom’s children.

Wow, who knew this little phrase held so many jewels of information about memorization. It tells us who is to memorize, what we are to memorize, and how we are to memorize. It is our foundation for memorization.

And that’s not even the whole verse. “In all wisdom,” shows us that we are to memorize Scripture in order to attain wisdom of spiritual things. We must also use wisdom as we memorize, in order to fully understand what the Lord is teaching us through the verse or passage.

“Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” all point to one thing, the Psalms of David, because at that time, there were no other songs. The Psalms were frequently sung and quoted from, and so it makes sense that this verse refers to the book of Psalms. Memorizing these songs in order to be “teaching and admonishing one another in” these would really be memorizing God’s Word.

“Singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.” What are we to sing? “Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” that is, Scripture.

Beautifully, this verse highlights the exhortation to memorize Scripture, and what should happen with the words that we have memorized (“teaching and admonishing one another”). In my mind, it does not get much clearer than that.

Now: May the Word of Christ dwell in you richly my friends!