How to Strike it Rich
When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. Grandpa was an immigrant fresh from Germany. Before his life in America, he had always known poverty. Grandma had also known many hardships and had always had to scrape by to survive financially. Every afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma would go into their living room, turn on the television, and take their seats; then with great pleasure, they would watch the television program called “Let’s Make a Deal!” When the program concluded, they would always spend a few minutes day-dreaming about what they’d do if they suddenly struck it rich and inherited a large amount of money.
I loved to listen to my grandparents as they fantasized about paying off all their bills, purchasing a new house, contributing huge sums of money to the church, and bequeathing money to their children and grandchildren. They’d also talk about how they would show extraordinary generosity toward people who were disadvantaged in life. For Grandpa and Grandma, the supreme dream was what life would be like if they suddenly struck it rich!
If you are also among those who dream of striking it rich someday, I want to tell you that you don’t have to fantasize about being rich anymore!
If you are a child of God, you’ve already struck it rich!
You have been given a treasure that will make boundless wealth accessible to you for the rest of your life. You are already a spiritual billionaire; however, for you to derive benefit from what God has provided, you have to learn how to tap into these vast resources.
In Colossians 3:16, the apostle Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.…” Today I want us to look at the word “richly” in this verse. It comes from the Greek word plousios, a very old Greek word that describes:
incredible abundance
extreme wealth
enormous affluence
great prosperity
immense riches
magnificent opulence
extravagant lavishness
Paul uses the word plousios in Colossians 3:16 to let us know that if we will receive the Word of God in the right way — if we give it a warm reception and make it feel at home in our lives — it will enrich us spiritually. Thus, the word plousios means that the Word of God can make us spiritual “billionaires”!
Colossians 3:16 conveys the following idea: “Let the Word of God dwell in you richly! Throw open the doors, roll out the red carpet, and give it a grand reception! If you’ll let the Word dwell in you in this way, it will produce an amazing amount of spiritual wealth in your life.…”You may ask, “How can the Word make us spiritually rich?” Paul continues to tell us what the Word can produce in us if we allow it to do so. He says, “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” (Colossians 3:16).These words describe people so full of the Word of God that their entire being is affected. Their hearts are full of joy; their minds are flooded with wisdom and understanding; and their mouths are singing songs to the Lord. This describes people who have struck it rich spiritually!
It is a fact that when the Word of God really comes to feel at home in you, dwelling lavishly inside your heart, it enriches you with the wisdom, the gifts, and the power you need for today. You become so filled with the riches of God that you automatically find yourself admonishing and encouraging other people in their faith.
When the Word dwells in you richly, there’s always a song of rejoicing in your heart!
When you are filled with the Word to this extent, those inward spiritual riches will easily flow out of you to bring life to everyone around you.
By using the word “richly” in this verse, Paul is painting a picture of what the Word of God will produce for you if you allow it to take up residency in you and become a vital part of your life. So if you’re tired of striving with no results — if you’re tired of feeling spiritually weak and worn out with nothing to offer — stop right where you are today. Don’t take another step without making the decision to let God’s Word play a more important role in your life.
As you do, the Word of God will enrich you with spiritual wisdom and insight. It will put victory in your heart and a song in your mouth! It will turn you into a spiritual billionaire! It will enrich your life so much that you’ll always have something spiritually to donate, to bequeath, or to freely share with someone else!
Prayer for Today
Lord, I ask You to help me become so full of the Word of God that my entire being is affected by its life-giving truth. As I dwell on Your Word and let it live inside me, my heart will be filled with joy, my mind will be flooded with wisdom and understanding, and my mouth will be filled with songs. Lord, I know that Your Word will take me to the richest spiritual place I’ve ever known in my life. So help me make Your Word feel at home in my heart so I can start living each day like I’ve struck it spiritually rich! I pray this in Jesus’ name!
Confession for Today
I confess that the Word of God enriches me with spiritual wisdom and insight. It puts victory in my heart and a song in my mouth! As I meditate on the Word, it enriches my life, and I always have something spiritually to donate, to bequeath, or to freely share with others. I am so filled with the riches of God’s Word that I automatically find myself admonishing and encouraging other people in their faith. I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
Questions
How can you roll out the red carpet and give God’s Word a grand reception today?
Do you want the wisdom, gifts, and power of God to be more active in your life so you can minister more effectively to those around you?
What can you do differently in your private times with the Lord to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”?
