Colossians 3:1-17 – The Word of God
When Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, one purpose was to correct heretical teaching, but the principal reason was to help believers to become more and more conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the major ways in which this is done is through the living Word of God.
Just as there can be no physical growth without the intake of food, so there can be no spiritual development without the taking in of the Word of God. It should not be thought that the ‘word of Christ’ only refers to the words spoken by Jesus during his time on earth; the phrase is simply synonymous with the ‘word of God’ which is the only properly ordained agency for ‘teaching and admonishing’. 1 Tim. 6:3, 1 Thess. 1:8, 4:15.
This divine Word is to govern every action and every thought and word of the child of God. This Word is not just to be known superficially, but is to ‘dwell richly within’ the believer. The more the child of God knows of the Word of God and the more that this Word is understood and applied to his daily experience, the more he will grow in likeness to his Lord.
For the Word of God to ‘dwell richly’ within the believer there are a number of things that must become a part of the everyday life of the believer. The Lord Jesus Christ once warned people that they were to be careful how they listened to the Word of God. In the parable of the sower He described four different kinds of soil into which the good seed of the Word of God could fall and finished His parable with the words ‘he who has ears to hear, let him hear’ Matt. 13:9.
Questions
- How are you to listen to the Word of God?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that we have the Word of God.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.