|
"Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you..."
(Colossians 3:16a, CSB)
When I was in 6th grade, I went with my youth pastor to Madisonville, Texas for a mission trip. On this trip, I would meet someone who would pour into me every year of my life, even to this day! I met a guy named Daniel Crittendon. Daniel was a friend of my youth pastors, and everyone called him Critter. Critter was an intimidating figure at first. He was the second strongest dude in Texas when he was in high school, and he still looked like he could lift! When Critter started talking, and the more I got to know him, I recognized that he loved Jesus with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength! I also recognized quickly that Critter knew a LOT of scripture! Every conversation, he seemed to say something like, "In the Bible it says..." or he would quote a reference and give me the verse associated with it. I was blown away by this as a 6th grader, and it made me think this: I want to be like that!
Critter was, and is, someone who loves God's word and constantly tries to live by it! What's really cool is that Critter, after that trip to Madisonville, still kept in touch and would pour into my life throughout middle and high school. All throughout this time, he would always be quoting scripture and reinforcing my strong sense of awe that someone could memorize that much scripture! Today, Critter and I work at the same church in Arkansas, and it is almost a full circle, because his daughter is about to be a student in the Student Ministry where I am the student pastor!
Critter is someone who lives out Colossians 3:16 super well! He lets the word of Christ dwell in him richly, and he recalls those scriptures often!
Who is someone in your life who is constantly quoting scripture or pointing you to scripture? Who is someone about whom you have thought to yourself, "Wow, they know a lot of scripture!" If you have someone like that in your life, reach out to them and thank them for living out Colossians 3:16! Better yet, ask them how they do it, and see if you can begin implementing that habit of scripture memory in your own life! Critter helped show me at a pivotal age in life that Scripture is good for everyday life and that a life saturated with the word of God will have wisdom! He is a man who showed me what it means to hide God's word in his heart, and I am forever grateful to the Lord for putting Critter in my life!
|
Apple
Spotify
Deezer
YouTube
