May your peace, Lord, reign in me.
Let your word inhabit my mind.
Allow me to teach with wisdom,
so
that others in your word will find
the peace that they have craved,
Lord.
Then with a full heart they may sing.
May gratitude flow from our
hearts, Lord,
as an offering of worship we bring.
“Let the peace of
Christ rule in
your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And
be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with
all wisdom,
and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
with gratitude in
your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV)
brabĕuō1018 - to arbitrate, i.e. (gen.) to govern (fig.
prevail): - rule.
ĕnŏikĕō1774 – to inhabit
(fig.): - dwell in
Paul
admonishes us “…as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”
(Romans 12:18). That can only be done as we allow Christ to reign on the throne
of our hearts. His peace comes as we spend time with him daily through prayer,
reading his word, and worshipping him. Then he will enable us to be at peace
with one another.
God’s word
should inhabit us. Listening to the Sunday school lesson and sermon each week
is a good beginning; but in order to have the word of Christ inhabit us, we
must read it and meditate on it daily. You may feel that you don’t have time to
sit down and read God’s word each day. For about $70 dollars (the cost of 2
trips to Six Flags, 7 dinners out, or a pair of good running shoes), you can
own the entire Bible on CD. I enjoy listening to God’s word as I travel to and
from work each day or as I’m running errands. I play the chapter I’m currently
studying over and over until I begin to internalize the concepts and even
memorize some of the key verses. On weekends or evenings when I have some time,
I still enjoy getting out The Comparative
Study Bible and reading a few verses in King James, New American Standard,
New International Version, and Amplified all side by side.
The real
turning point in my life, other than my actual acceptance of Jesus as Savior
and Lord, was when I was discipled by a godly couple who served as our Sunday
school teachers for young singles. They taught me the importance of memorizing
Scripture and hiding it deep within my heart. The verses I learned while I had
the accountability of Keith or Kathy asking me to recite them, have been
brought back to me by the Holy Spirit many times to meet a particular need in
my life. One of the ways I keep my memorized Bible verses fresh is to recite
them in my mind while I exercise. When I swim, I count the laps by verses
containing that lap number (Genesis 1:1, Galatians 2:20, John 3:16, etc.). I
challenge myself to use a different verse for each lap and to incorporate newly
memorized verses as well.
When I
taught at Glenview Christian School, the music teacher and I set almost all of
the second-grade memory verses to music. I still run into students, now in
college, who tell me they sing those songs with children in their churches and
plan to teach them to their own children. Hymns and songs based strongly on
Scripture, even if not word for word, are a powerful way to remember God’s
promises and express thanksgiving to God. Sing them with a heart full of
gratitude to the Lord who wrote his love letter to you.
Father, I thank you for the people
who taught and admonished me with wisdom to meditate on your word. Help me to
remember the verses I have learned and to never tire of knowing more of you.
Help me to pass on this gift of knowing you through your word to those you have
entrusted to me.
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