When I bought my new home, it was a joy spending the first night there. Over time, as I claimed it as my own, it was exciting to fill each room with the usual furniture. With my kids’ pictures on the wall, the knick-knacks on the bookshelves, and all the extra personalized touches, the house slowly became my home. As the saying goes, “There’s no place like home.” For a vacation, you can stay anywhere, but you relax, get comfortable, or “dwell richly,” in your home.
When I come home from a crazy workday, there’s rarely a better feeling than to change into something comfortable, grab my favorite drink, head to my favorite room, and relax on my large, fluffy couch. It is home—my safe and comfortable haven where I belong and can relax. Dwelling, abiding, remaining—these words all speak to comfortable permanence.
During a recent devotional time, the first nine words of today’s verse struck a chord with me. As I pondered and researched it to better understand the deeper meaning, I was amazed at how much is packed into so few words.
Incorporating our faith into the daily routine of life can be challenging. The lines between earth’s mundane and heaven’s expectations seldom seem to intersect. Or so we think. We know the “word of Christ” refers to God’s Word, the Scriptures. The word “dwell” means to remain, become a resident, or to inhabit. But then comes the fun part. The word “richly” means in large quantity, plentiful, profusely, and abundantly. So a paraphrase of this verse would be, “Let God’s Word take up permanent residence within you so it overflows into every aspect of your everyday life.” God’s Word is to permanently reside in us. So, I am motivated to relax and get comfortable every moment in the presence of Jesus—speaking to Him, recalling His Word, applying it to every situation of life, and allowing Him access to every room and corner of my life. This helps me live the abundant life He gives.
Become a fruitful child of His, and invite His blessing into your life.
(Photo courtesy of office.microsoft.com.)
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A lifelong student of Scripture, Nate Stevens has also enjoyed a forty-year banking career in a variety of leadership roles. He is the author of: Matched 4 Life (book and workbook), Deck Time with Jesus, Transformed: Until Christ is Formed in You, Conformed: Into the Likeness of Christ, Informed: Living by God’s Absolute Truth, and God’s Secret Place. He is also a contributing author on several of the Moments Books series (Billy Graham Moments, Romantic Moments, Divine Moments, Spoken Moments, Christmas Moments, Stupid Moments, and Broken Moments). He writes online articles for ChristianDevotions.us and KingdomWinds.com, as well as several other ministries. Additionally, he co-founded and leads Fusion, a Christian singles ministry. A popular speaker and teacher at conferences, seminars, and Bible study groups, he speaks on a wide variety of topics. Nate has two adult children. He and his wife, Karen, live near Charlotte, North Carolina. Follow Nate and find more resources at: www.natestevens.net