Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

 

Well, did you make a New Year’s resolution? Out of habit, we do because we are gluttons for punishment who break more promises than we keep. We probably should wise up.

If you’re like most, you’re struggling already in your efforts to change some part of your life to make it better and to be happier with yourself. It’s true that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Perhaps because of the fact that this is a new year, you’ll be pro-active and receptive to a “new you” in the making and, in the words of one of the letter writers in the Bible, you’ll “adorn yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and a forgiving heart, to let Christ’s peace rule in your heart.”

Now that is certainly a fine list of resolutions whether you go to church or not!

But actually doing these things is another matter. I mean, it takes willpower and a dedicated determined spirit, and it’s something you just can’t turn on in a whim.

Don’t despair. That’s where God comes in. He offers just the right help you need. The power, the wisdom, the motivation, and encouragement you need… found in His unchanging, living Word.

Oh, you say, “I’ve tried that” or “I’ve been faithful in so many ways. I’ve gone the way of church and reading meditations. But I still struggle with making the right changes in my Christian life.”

Sadly, we Christians will always need to do battle with our sinful nature, as long as we’re on this planet. But, in all truthfulness, God’s Word is indeed powerful. It created the universe at His command and it’s able to create changes in us too.

The inspired writer to the Colossians declared: “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col. 3:16).

“Richly” means that using God’s Word becomes an essential part of each day’s activity. Our devotions aren’t a chore we have to do, but a sought-after communion with our heavenly Father. Sermons in church aren’t something we have to sit through, but the gracious voice of God to us. The Bible isn’t a difficult book of rules, but a love letter from our heavenly “Bridegroom,” our “beautiful Savior,” to be read over and over—a message centered on Christ for our salvation. Read religiously, the Bible’s message becomes so well known that it dwells inside us—a rich deposit of God’s grace, and its teachings are committed to memory.

When the Word of Christ lives in us so richly, that powerful Word begins to change (or transform) us as never before. Yes, and God-pleasing resolutions begin to bear fruit like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness. So let God’s Word dwell in you richly. Then stand back. You’ll marvel at what He can do in you in the name of our crucified and risen Savior. Each month the clergy of the Cook County Ministerium offer spiritual reflections. This week’s contributor is the Rev. Dean Rudloff of Life in Christ Lutheran Church (LCMS).