WEEK 43 – DAY 3

DWELL IN THE WORD

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 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 3:15-16

Paul admonishes us “…as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). That can only be done as we allow Christ to reign on the throne of our hearts. His peace comes as we spend time with Him daily through prayer, reading His word, and worshipping Him. Then He will enable us to be at peace with one another. God’s word should inhabit us. Listening to the Sunday school lesson and sermon each week is a good beginning; but in order to have the word of Christ inhabit us, we must read it and meditate on it daily. Today, a person can even listen to the entire Bible on his cell phone! The real turning point in my (Susie’s) life, other than my actual acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord, was when I was discipled by a godly couple who served as our Sunday school teachers for young singles. They taught me the importance of memorizing Scripture and hiding it deep within my heart. The verses I learned while I had the accountability of Keith or Kathy asking me to recite them, have been brought back to me by the Holy Spirit many times to meet particular needs in my life. One of the ways I keep my memorized Bible verses fresh is to recite them in my mind while I exercise. When I swim, I count the laps by verses containing that lap number (Genesis 1:1, Galatians 2:20, John 3:16, etc.). I challenge myself to use a different verse for each lap and to incorporate newly memorized verses as well. When I taught at Glenview Christian School, the music teacher and I set almost all of the second-grade memory verses to music. I still run into students, now with children of their own, who tell me they sing those songs with children in their churches and teach them to their own children. Hymns and songs based strongly on Scripture, even if not word for word, are a powerful way to remember God’s promises and express thanksgiving to God.

Father, we thank You for the people who taught and admonished us with wisdom to meditate on Your word. Help us to remember the verses we have learned and to never tire of knowing more of You. Help us to pass on this gift of knowing you through Your word to those You have entrusted to us.