Day Eight of our Vacation

Good morning! This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I hope you will as well.

As I type this, I am sitting in Brad and Glenda's house in Alexandria, VA. We have just completed week one of our two week vacation.

Our first week was awesome: Niagara Falls, NYC, and Washington DC. We put 1800 miles on our car this past week. Now, as we begin week two, we are going to settle down and not drive as much. We leave tomorrow for Williamsburg, VA. We will spend a couple of days doing the "Amusement park" thing, and then a couple of days going through Colonial Williamsburg. The kids have greatly enjoyed our sightseeing, but they are ready to ride some roller coasters.

We went to a Gospel concert last night. The performers were Brandon Heath, Mandisa, and Toby Mac. It really was very good. My middle daughter, Mackenzie, is becoming quite the photographer. Let me share a few photos from last night's concert:

I was reading from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems from the Greek" this morning for my personal devotion. I would like to share with you a little of what I read.

Colossians 3:16, where it says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

What kind of reception have I given the Word of God in my life? I wanted to know:

Colossians 3:16 says,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” The chilly reception I felt in that home caused me to look at my own heart and ask, What kind of reception have I given the Word of God in my life? I wanted to know:

• Have I given God’s Word the kind of reception it deserves, or have I ignored it and given it the “cold shoulder”?
• Does God’s Word feel at home in my life, or does it feel unwanted?
• Have I rolled out the red carpet and given God’s Word a grand reception, making it clear that I love the Word and am privileged to have it dwelling in my heart?

In Colossians 3:16, Paul tells us that the word of Christ should “dwell” in us richly. I decided to go get my Greek New Testament and study the word “dwell” so I could determine what kind of reception I had given God’s Word in my own life.

I found that the word “dwell” is taken from the word enoikeo. The word enoikeo is a compound of the words en and oikos. The word en means in, and the word oikos is the Greek word for a house. When the two words are compounded together, they form the word enoikeo, which means to dwell in a house.

This is the same Greek word used in both New Testament literature and secular literature to signify someone who takes up permanent residency in a home. The person is so at home and contented in this new location that he has chosen to make it his permanent dwelling place for the rest of his life.

So when Paul tells us to let the word of Christ “dwell” in us, he is beseeching us to give God’s Word such a grand, welcoming reception that it literally feels at home in us and therefore comes to take up permanent residency!

Does the Word have this kind of place in your life? Does it really “dwell” in you richly? Does it feel at home and comfortable in your life? Or is the Word of God treated like a stranger that is occasionally welcomed into your life as a visitor? Be honest!

Why not make today the day that the Word of God comes to take up permanent residency in your life? Throw the door open, roll out the red carpet, and welcome the Word of God as a new, permanent resident in your heart!

Blessings!

Pastor Rusty