'Do this and ...'

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)
I was recently reading Paul’s letter to the Colossians and had to stop and think about that verse. How does a word dwell in us richly?
I wonder whether you have noticed that nearly every time the scriptures mention “success,” they relate it to one basic requirement. And this is not just “spiritual” success, but material, financial, social, and even political success. God says, “Do this and …” Your way will be prosperous, and you will have good success … you will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit and not withering. … You will discover how to live. … You will excel in wisdom beyond all your teachers. … You will have faith, understanding, peace, joy, and life itself.
Do what, exactly? Interestingly enough, It is NOT to pray, worship, witness, fast, get elected to your local church governing boards, or even tithe. (Though all of those things are very important!) It is to meditate on God’s Word, and we find this mentioned often.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.” (Joshua 1:8)
Who is like a tree planted by the waters, bearing fruit and not withering? The one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord ... who meditates on it day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)
How do I attain greater wisdom than my teachers? “By making your testimonies my meditation.” (Psalm 119:99)
Where do peace and joy come from? “Great peace have those who love your law.” (Psalm 119:165)
“My mouth praises you with joy when I meditate on you. ...” (Psalm 63:5)
Biblical meditation is not the same as Eastern meditation or forms of pop culture meditation. The goal of those kinds of meditation is usually emptying the mind and will of content. This is dangerous in the extreme, because we have a spiritual enemy who will seek to fill both mind and heart with lies if we give him the chance.
The goal of Christian meditation is to fill our minds with God’s truth, and so absorb it into our innermost being; then many of the other practices such as prayer, worship, witnessing will flow out of us.
And so my hope is that all of us will practice these words: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)