Rich Possession

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 
 
WHEN you are rich in money, you put your money to use, don’t you? What do you do when you are rich in the words of Christ? Paul effectively says, “Put Christ’s rich words to use.” Then he tells you how. First, teach one another Jesus’ words. It’s always true, isn’t it, that we are to tell others of Jesus’ Gospel, the good news of life.
    Second, Paul says to “admonish one another with all wisdom”. That doesn’t sound very nice, does it? But it is nice. In fact, it is even necessary and loving to admonish people when they incorrectly use Jesus’ words. “Admonish” means to gently put a truth into someone’s mind, so he or she will know more of Jesus. If you don’t tell them the truth in a loving manner, they may never know.
    Third, go ahead and sing. Yes, sing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Don’t you love that? You get to sing of God’s glory and riches. You like to sing about Jesus, don’t you? Even if you can’t sing, I know you find a place to sing because you are rich in Jesus’ words. And note the singing can be psalms, hymns and spiritual songs! Rejoice and be glad in the variety of songs you get to sing for Jesus. Encourage others to sing and make music to the Lord.
    Then what? Use Jesus’ rich words in love. Lovingly tell others. Lovingly praise God for what he has poured into your life. Lovingly put Jesus’ rich words to use. There is no love such as Jesus’ love. Spread it around and watch it grow.  See it return repeatedly to bless you.
 
Life Thought: God enriches you with truth, so you will enrich others.