“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” Colossians 3:16 (NRS)
The eleven year old boy got to his feet. Convicted by the preaching of the word of Christ, he had raced to the altar and repented of everything he could think of that might be sin in his young life. As he wiped his eyes, the preacher talked with him and said, “Today, you have been raised with Christ and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. You are saved.”
This was all well and good, but the boy had no clue as to what that meant or how it was to result in his life. Unfortunately, the church didn’t disciple him with any knowledge of what it meant either. The only help he got was the constant exhortation from older, well-meaning Christians to refrain from sinning.
Replacing the old self with the new self, however, is more than simply forsaking sinful practices. Repentance opens the door for the new self to be created. Repentance is only the beginning of renewal. Renewal occurs through the increasing knowledge of the word of Christ and the image of God. The “renewal life” allows the word of Christ to reside in it. Literally, the renewal believer receives Christ’s word, accepts it, believes it, learns it, and memorizes it. Christ’s word must be so impressed into the renewal mind that the resurrected life of Christ will be evident in the believer. This radical renewal will produce biblical wisdom and admonition, joy, singing and gratitude.
Dear Father, thank you for the word of Christ. Thank you for making the Bible available to me in language I can understand. Thank you for the desire I have to learn the word of Christ and give it residence in me. Forgive me for the times I have resisted your renewal of my new self. O Lord, increase my enthusiasm for the word of Christ and empower my ability to retain it. Please, continue the renewal in me. I pray this in Jesus’ name. AMEN
Let us praise God for his word and let it reside in us daily,
Pastor Smith