Tuesday, April 16th, 2024

Scripture: Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Teaching: Paul continues his teaching on love, peace, and thankfulness in verse 16. This verse focuses on the role of the word of Christ, or logos christos, in the Greek. In addition to letting the “peace of Christ rule” in us (v. 15), we are also to let the “word of Christ richly dwell within” us. Christ had real teachings and expectations for how one who professes faith in Christ should live, with the Sermon on the Mount being perhaps the most well-known encapsulation of Christian ethics. We know that one is not saved by works, but Paul here urges the Colossians in their worship and devotion to Christ to let Christ’s teachings lead them in wisdom, admonishing one another, and in worship. Finally, these teachings and the kind of life they produce here on earth should be celebrated with “thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Takeaway: A tree without water taken in by its roots cannot produce fruit. Without the water dwelling richly within the tree, the tree is dying if not already dead. When Paul calls the Church to let the word of Christ “richly dwell” within them, what he is talking about can be likened to a state of living where Christ is the living water abundantly flowing through them. In Colossians, Paul is ever pointing to Christ as the source, the life, and the animating element that turns what was dead into life. In this verse, he highlights the role and power of Christ’s word. It is reminiscent of Psalm 1, which says, “Blessed is the one...whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” When we turn to Christ’s word as the arbiter of truth, source of wisdom, and foundation of worship, allowing it to dwell richly within us, it yields fruit in our lives. Today, plant yourself in the Word, rejoicing in Christ that by faith, we have the opportunity to live in ways pleasing to him until the day that we are with him for eternity.