“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.”
Colossians 3:16

 

Dictionary.com offers this definition for the word dwell:  to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside. Therefore, when we are challenged to let the word of Christ dwell in us, it suggests an element of permanence.

Do you and I make weekend visitation with God’s Word, do we camp out in the Word occasionally, or do we allow it to dwell in us?

Do you and I make weekend visitation with God's Word, do we camp out in the Word occasionally, or do we allow it to dwell in us? Click To Tweet

I love Colossians 3:16. In fact, I would call it my life verse, because God’s Word is my passion; I love to study it, to share it, and to teach it.

I credit Andrew Pudewa with making me an adverb enthusiast. His IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) courses prompted me to encourage my children to add those “dress-ups” to their writing—and as is the case with so much of what we do as mamas, I learned along with my kiddos. I began to add those -ly words to my own writing, too!

Adverbs add shades of meaning that help us communicate our thoughts with specificity. We can write, “The girl sang,” but that doesn’t provide the details needed to be specific. Add an -ly word and suddenly we are communicating:

The girl sang loudly.
The girl sang poorly.
The girl sang joyfully.
The girl sang woefully.

What a difference an adverb makes!

The adverb richly adds depth to Paul’s admonition in Colossians. We are not just to allow God’s Word to dwell, but to dwell richly. It should have full access, be present in full measure. As we deliberately allow God’s Word to dwell richly in us, it begins to shape our responses. It colors our thoughts, words, attitudes, actions, and behaviors.

Will you decide today to “let the word of Christ dwell in you” in 2018?

 

Want to join us as we focus on Colossians 3 this month?
Visit Laura’s January 7th Sunday Soaking to download printable memorization cards for all 24 verses,
and this month’s installment of the Write The Word series for a printable bookmark to guide daily scripture journaling.