Word Dwellers

Word Dwellers

Words of Faith 11-15-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

To unsubscribe, follow the directions at the end of this devotion.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Colossians 3

[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

     As believers, we get rid of the old clothing of the world and put on the new clothing of Christ.  The peace of Christ is to umpire the decisions and pull of our hearts.  We are also to have a heart rich with the Word of Christ. 

       As believers, we invite the Word of Christ to dwell richly in our hearts.  This is another instance where the choice is up to the believer: The Word of Christ does not naturally dwell within the believer's heart.  There must be an invitation.  The word "dwell" means to be at home or to make a home, to abide or dwell within. We must make room within our hearts for the Word of Christ. We must let the Word of Christ enter our hearts and make a home.  We must let the Word of Christ dwell and abide in our hearts.  We must clean out all the old furnishings of the heart and let the Word of Christ settle down as the permanent resident.

       We must not be satisfied with just a meager visit by the Word of Christ. We are to let the Word of Christ dwell richly within us. The Word of Christ must be allowed to furnish our hearts with all the wealth of His commandments, promises, instructions, and warnings.

       We are to teach and admonish with wisdom.  The word “admonish” means to put in mind, caution, or reprove gently or warn.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).  We don't learn the Word of Christ simply for our personal interest or fascination. We are to put the Word of Christ into the mind and thoughts of others, whether by simple conversation or more structured teaching.

      The very reason God has not yet taken us home to heaven is that we are to teach and admonish one another. You might say— “I am not a teacher…"  But as followers of Christ, we most certainly are.  We are teaching those around us every day and every moment.  Within the Body, we are to encourage, warn, and caution.  To do this, we must know the Word.  We must seek understanding.  We must invite the richness of the Word two dwell in us.

       It is not enough to know the Word of Christ. We must be living the Word of Christ. Knowing the Word and not living it is hypocrisy. Our very lives must be the home and dwelling place for the Word of Christ. When people look at us, they must immediately see that our lives are indwelt by the Word of Christ.

     Ultimately, we cannot be people in whom the Word of Christ richly dwells unless we also are people who dwell in the Word.  If we are to be the dwelling place of Christ Word, we must intentionally dwell in His Word by study and meditation.  We must immerse ourselves by every means and method in the Word of Christ—by psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts toward God.

       Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Ps. 1:1-3).

      Lord, I invite Your Word to dwell in me richly.  Immerse me in Your truth and wisdom.  Guard my times of study and meditation.  Plant me by the streams of waters.  Make me a hearer and a doer of the Word. In Jesus' Name. 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.  Or you can call the church office at 321-259-7200 x1.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><