In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Let’s notice five things about this verse. First, Paul founds his exhortation on the gospel. He writes in verses 1-4, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” So, Paul is saying in verse 16, based on what Christ accomplished for you, set your minds on Him by saturating your minds with His Word.

Second, the term “the word of Christ” most likely refers to the gospel, however, since the entire Bible is the story of how God is redeeming a people for himself through Christ, this term is roughly equivalent to “the Bible.” So, Paul is essentially saying, “let the whole Bible dwell in you richly.”

Third, Paul wants us to be rich in the Word of Christ rather than poor, abundant rather than scarce, filled rather than empty. He wants us to soak our minds in the Word, to inflame our hearts with the Word, and to direct our wills toward God’s will by the Word. He wants us to live our lives for the glory of Christ and the common good, both of which require abundant spiritual wealth.

Fourth, Paul directs his exhortation toward the local body of Christ as a whole. The Greek word here for “you” is plural so that it means, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you all richly.” Accordingly, Paul then encourages us to apply the Word in the life of the church by teaching one another, correcting or rebuking one another, and singing to the Lord with one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Just imagine what life in the body of Christ would be like if each congregation and individual was consistently rich in the Word!

Fifth, Paul encourages us to live this kind of life with thankfulness in our hearts to God. Since Christ has granted us eternal life by grace through faith, since He’s eternally settled the most important issues of our lives, since He’s given us His Word to feed our souls and empower our ministries, it’s only fitting that we would give Him thanks in all things, at all times. People who are rich in the Word of Christ, overflow with thanksgiving to Christ.

With this vision of spiritual wealth in mind, I encourage you to carefully consider the following chart. The first column lists seven vital Word-related habits, the second column provides the main purpose of each habit, and the third column provides the ideal frequency of each habit.

When you have a good grasp of this chart, consider the habits one by one and ask yourself the following questions:

1. On a scale of 1 – 5, how am I doing with each habit?
2. What specific steps can I take at this time to grow in each habit?
3. Which habit should I work on first, second, third, and so forth?
4. Who can help me implement my plan over time?

Whatever your answers, remember that we seek to grow in the wealth of the Word by the same grace that saved us. We saturate our minds, hearts, and wills with the Word because God has loved us in Christ, and not so that we can become loveable to Him. By God’s grace, we’re the children of a Father who knows what’s best and only commands us for His glory and our good. So, with gospel-inspired eagerness, let us hear and heed Paul’s wise and loving admonition: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).