Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3:16)
As a pastor, I once visited a couple who had attended our church. After the usual small talk, I asked if I could read from the Bible. The father called the whole family into the room—father, mother, and three children of various ages. And something amazing happened: Before I started, he went to the bookshelf and pulled their Bibles off the shelf. Not one Bible. Five Bibles. One for each person in the family.
It gets even better. Their Bibles were dog-eared. Wrinkled. The covers were worn and creased. Once everyone had their Bible, I said, “Let’s open up to the book of Jeremiah.” Do you know what happened? They all knew where Jeremiah was! We opened up God’s Word and read together. It was amazing!
I say “amazing,” because as a pastor, it’s rare to find a family that uses God’s Word in their homes. Does yours? I hope so, but there can be so many obstacles. We can tell ourselves that God’s Word is for at church. We can think the Bible is too long or too complicated or too old to benefit us. What a lie!
To see this family and their well-worn Bibles made me think of this verse: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). “Let the message of Christ dwell among your richly…” Isn’t that a great goal for our families? I pray that Jesus and his Word dwell richly in your family and in your house. That you know right where your Bibles are. That you can even find Jeremiah. You and your family will be blessed!
And don’t forget to sing. Music has a powerful ability to plant God’s Word into our hearts. Do you sing to God at your house? You don’t have to sing well. God loves to hear your voice. He loves to hear Christians singing together. He loves when his Word is implanted in hearts big and small through beautiful songs.
Let’s have homes filled with dog-eared Bibles. Bibles that are used means hearts that are full.
Dear Jesus, you have given us your Word for our eternal benefit. Forgive us for often neglecting it. Let your Word be among us richly, and lead us to sing songs of gratitude to you. Amen.
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