When you hear the word “dwell,” you might initially think of a house or place of living, which is a fitting word to describe how the Word of Christ should be in our lives. My golden retriever, Obi has grown a lot which means he sheds so much more. Five minutes after sweeping, Obi tosses a few more tumbleweeds all over the living room, and I am nonstop sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning the house. For Paul to use the word “dwell” was fascinating because scripture should dwell in my life and never stop cleaning me like how I clean my house. When I dive into God’s Word every day, I find confidence, joy, and patience so much easier! I understand my values and identity more and more as I read scripture.
Allowing the Word of Christ to dwell in me richly can be difficult when I get tired or busy, but then I am reminded that like the floors of my house, I am in constant need of someone to care for me. That might seem silly, but scripture should take priority in our lives, even if it is not reading and highlighting verses and looking for cross-references and commentary. Today, you can take one verse and let that dwell in your heart, memorize it, question it, and chew on it. When we give space and time for God’s Word in our lives, we can understand how God is moving in our lives more everyday!
After reading this, I want to encourage you to open that dusty Bible or that unopened app and start letting God’s Word dwell in your heart. Let us prioritize the Word over the busyness and just see how God begins to straighten and clean your life.
The word “rejoice” appears 430 times in the Bible; Paul uses that word nine times in Philippians alone. Rejoice means to show joy or delight, and the God of the Heavens and Earth tells us in this verse above that He desires us all to rejoice not only when life is great, not only when we have the time or energy to show it, but to rejoice always. Why is it so difficult to always rejoice? Did God give us an impossible task?
Always rejoicing is not faking it until you make it or hiding your feelings; rather, rejoicing is the response to acknowledging God’s grace in your life at that moment. This is how Paul was able to be in prison while remaining content and having great strength. How many times a day do you sit and list out a few ways God has shown you grace today? We love to pray and ask, but we move on to the next thing when a prayer is answered.
Now, I will not lie; choosing to rejoice amid the trial can be difficult if that is a new response you want to start doing in your life, but luckily, Paul pairs rejoicing here with prayer. Paul says to pray without ceasing. When I have a conversation with my wife, it is not just a one-minute conversation before bed but rather when I am in the car with her, cooking meals and working on my student ministry work. What would our relationship with Jesus be like if we had a ton of quick conversations with Him throughout our day rather than a scheduled one minute meeting before bed?
Right now, let’s start this habit of always rejoicing. I am thankful I woke up today, that I have a family, and that I don’t have to question where my next meal will come from. Thank you, God, for the simple gift of being able to breathe on my own and live a life full of countless blessings.
Recently, I graduated from Texas State University, which most people initially think is just a party school. As I would catch up with friends from my high school after a year in college, I convinced them that Texas State was the most Christian school based on how I would share how college was going. When I first got to college, I was on a weak faith foundation, and I was presented with the party life when I was at a low point in life. I had a friend from high school who consistently invited me to a college ministry there called Crosstalk, which I had declined many times prior. Finally, one night, I had the choice to fully chase the party and worldly life or show up to this Crosstalk thing.
I chose to check out Crosstalk, and as I walked through the doors, I saw that the Lord had shattered my heart in the most beautiful way during worship. To some people, it was a normal evening of worship, but to me, the Holy Spirit filled every crevasse of my life at that moment, and it was an overwhelming feeling of truth and love in life. The rest of that year, I read the Bible in a year while asking every question that came along the way, worshiped God all over campus with other believers, and thanked God every day for the small things. This passage in Ephesians is not just Paul telling us what to do and not to do. Paul is sharing how you can experience a greater depth in your relationship with God and others, even while surrounded by worldliness. Take time to think of how worldliness influences you most and how you can let the Holy Spirit help you to overcome those temptations rather than trying to face them yourself.
My main question when reading this verse was, “What is the will of God?” The will of God is what He desires from us, and I feel that the Great Commission has a lot to offer this idea.
Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, proved himself to be the Messiah, died on the cross in place of us for our sins, and then showed back up to many people. Jesus gives one last charge before He ascends into Heaven: to make disciples. We are told that we are all predestined to be adopted into God’s family, which means God desires everyone to accept the gift of salvation Jesus paid for on the cross. We have the pleasure to be vessels to direct people to have the chance to accept that gift.
Now, the response from you and me should be to ask ourselves how we are living out the great commission. I get to preach to students, which seems like the perfect place to live this out, but in reality, God surrounds all of us with people in need of Jesus and His love. Who is God consistently placing in your environment and how are you planting seeds to show them the love of Jesus? As a practical tip, try to see that a door swings wide open to show grace and patience when you get annoyed with someone. When you notice someone around you is having a tough day, ask to pray over them on the spot. Let us live out the great commission by loving God and loving our neighbor as yourself.
Last April was the first Focus event I ran for Cypress Creek Church. Focus is a large gathering of worship, service projects, games, and small group discussions for all the 6th to 12th graders. The theme for the event last year was “Set Apart,” focusing on having the student walk differently from the world and be set apart. This concept of walking in the opposite direction as everyone else is incredibly uncomfortable and difficult to do, but it is exactly how God desires us to live after we accept Him in our hearts.
In Ephesians 5, when Paul tells us to “look carefully, be wise, and make the best use of time” I was led to understand that although accepting and following Jesus is so simple, our walk in faith should not be left unchecked. When you have a relationship with a friend you have seasons of ups and downs, but a relationship with Jesus is this eternal covenant that identifies our life. That relationship with Jesus will always be perfect on His end; however, you and I know we are far from perfect. It can be easy to fall into contentment and hit a spot where there’s less hunger for scripture and worship. That season is never fun and is challenging to leave, and Paul, in these two verses, shares that if you want to grow in that relationship with Jesus, it’s going to take walking in the opposite direction of the world.
Reading the Bible takes our time, worshiping Jesus takes effort, and asking to pray over someone random is uncomfortable, and yet, Paul tells us to check ourselves today. Are we walking the hard path no matter the season of life to use our time more for the kingdom and walk in the wisdom of Jesus’ teachings rather than how to achieve the most worldly success possible? Today let us reflect on our current walk with the Lord and find one spot where we can be set apart and grow in our relationship with Jesus.
I lived with my cousins for a year during my childhood. They were always so kind to invite me to play hide-and-seek with them, and I was a great “hider”. They confessed years later that they never really looked for me; the game was just a way to get rid of me for extended periods of time (I must have been a really annoying kid).
I have always laughed at the verse in the book of John where Jesus left his friends and hid himself from them. Those guys must have really been annoying! In context, it actually seems like Jesus is asking them to grow up because he is not going to be there to physically lead them all the time. And then He goes and hides as if to illustrate the point that they will be on their own.
As we reflect on the fact that our freedom and salvation were purchased at great cost, we should understand that it is our responsibility to mature in our faith as we continue to walk in the light of God’s blessing. We can always depend on the Lord and His presence, but we should also make daily personal decisions that lead us to obedience and purity. Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7).
Stick with me for a second while I share a word picture. Sometimes my faith journey feels like I was stuck in a pit with a bunch of zombies. I claw my way out of the pit, but even as I experience the light of freedom from the pit, the zombies grasp at my ankles to pull me back in. Ok, it would not make a good children’s bible picture book, but it sure feels accurate to my experience.
We were all once in darkness with sin and demons (and zombies) vying for our attention, energy, and actions. By accepting Jesus as Savior, we are lifted from the darkness into the freedom of the light. Our shortcomings are exposed and forgiven. But our journey should not stop there. In order to experience the fullness of healing possible from God’s love, we must continually expose the hurts and sins from the darkness that still seek to have influence in our lives.
Are there any wounds are sins that you need to confess to God so that they do not pull you back into darkness? Do so and receive a fresh dose of the healing power of God’s love and forgiveness.
When I was a kid, I really enjoyed watching westerns with my dad. We could always tell the good guys from the bad guys by the color of their cowboy hats. Those black hats were a clear indication that that person was trouble.
People pursuing the world and filled with evil intentions today may not be wearing a black hat, but Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that there will be clear signs: sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. Even as God’s holy people (the good guys), we are likely to be tempted by something in any of the three areas Paul calls out. But as followers of Jesus, we are to say “no” to these temptations and pursue sexual faithfulness, purity, and gratitude.
Is there somewhere in your life that Satan is tempting you to put on the black hat of sexual immorality, impurity, or greed? Resist, pray, ask for help, remain obedient, and trust God for the blessing that will follow.
