Far too many Bibles are dust-collectors on the shelves of Christian homes. They are picked up and carried off to church on the Lord’s Day, only to find their spot once more on the shelf when services are over. God’s Word was not given for simply satisfying our academic curiosity. Paul told Timothy that the God-breathed Scriptures were profitable for “doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Obviously, God intended His Word to have far greater impact in our lives than to serve as a stage prop for Sundays. Today’s text resembles another passage much like it in Ephesians 5:18-19. The main difference between the two is that, instead of saying “be filled with the Spirit,” Paul says “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” In other words, being filled with the Spirit and being filled with God’s Word are both requisites for living joyful, useful, fruitful lives. In reality, we will not be filled with the Spirit unless we are saturated with God’s Word, and the study of God’s Word will not be effective unless we yield our inmost being to the control of the Holy Spirit. It is reasonable then to conclude that to be filled with the Spirit means to be filled with God’s Word.
Furthermore, the Scriptures are to dwell in us. They are to have a constant, fixed place in us as an inhabitant who takes up residence, never to depart. The Psalmist hid God’s Word in his heart in order that he might walk in righteousness and not sin against his Lord (Psa. 119:11). A well-used Bible is the sign of a Christian who is feeding on the Word and allowing it to dwell in him richly. May we be such Christians.
Furthermore, the Scriptures are to dwell in us. They are to have a constant, fixed place in us as an inhabitant who takes up residence, never to depart. The Psalmist hid God’s Word in his heart in order that he might walk in righteousness and not sin against his Lord (Psa. 119:11). A well-used Bible is the sign of a Christian who is feeding on the Word and allowing it to dwell in him richly. May we be such Christians.