Can you think of a person God has placed in your life where lingering in their presence is easy? When you are spending time with them, there is no urgency to move on to the next thing, no quiet pull toward your to-do list, only a steady desire to remain. You cherish them, not just for what they offer, but for who they are. Their presence itself feels like a gift.
For me, a person like this is my grandmother. She has a fierce and flourishing love for Jesus, the kind that has been cultivated over decades of walking with Him and trusting Him through every season. Because of this, His light seems to radiate from her so naturally that being with her feels like sitting in warmth. I am known in my family for spending hours asking her questions about her life. I sometimes even record our conversations so that I can return to her wisdom later, haha!
The Fullness of God Dwelling in the Son
There is something about her presence that makes me want to dwell. Not simply to visit or skim the surface, but to remain, to listen, and to soak in every ounce of insight she offers. It makes me think about that word “dwell” in a deeper way. To dwell carries the sense of something more settled than fleeting, not rushed or temporary, but rooted and enduring.
While it is helpful to consider the people and places we love to linger, those reflections point us to something far more significant. As much as I treasure time with my grandmother, I would not say that I truly dwell with her. Eventually, I have to leave her home or end our phone call. Our sweetest earthly moments are, by nature, temporary. But this is not true with Christ. How breathtaking it is to consider that the fullness of God does not simply visit Him for a moment. Rather, it permanently dwells in Him, the very Savior to whom we have been given constant access.
This is exactly where Colossians 1 invites us to lift our eyes. In Colossians 1:15-19, Paul unfolds a majestic vision of Jesus as the image of the invisible God, the One by whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. He is before all things, holds all things together, and stands as the head of the church, preeminent in everything.
And then we arrive at the summit of this passage. Colossians 1:19 tells us, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son.” This is not poetic exaggeration but a truth that anchors everything we believe about Christ. The word dwell emphasizes permanence, revealing that Jesus was not God for a moment but is fully and forever God.
The richness of this phrase is almost impossible to exhaust. Fullness speaks to completeness, leaving no room for anything lacking. Every attribute and perfection of God is fully present in Christ.
Dwelling in Christ
This truth flows beautifully into John 15. Jesus invites us into a relationship that is not distant but deeply connected, saying, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” The One in whom all the fullness of God dwells is the very One who invites us to dwell in Him.
Every moment and breath of our lives, because of Jesus, we have the ability to connect with the very fullness of God.
We all know what it looks like to see a plant that has been well-tended. Its leaves are vibrant and full because it has been watered, pruned, and cared for. And we have also seen the opposite, a plant neglected, its soil dry and its leaves drooping. This is not because life was unavailable, but it was not connected to the source it needed.
It is no coincidence that God chose the imagery of a fruit-bearing vine to illustrate our connection to Him. He knows our hearts and minds need something tangible to grasp the weight of what He is inviting us into. Through this picture, He helps us see that abiding is not abstract but essential. It is the very means by which true life, growth, and fruit are sustained.
If I am honest, I have experienced both kinds of seasons. I can look back on my teenage years before I had fully surrendered my heart to Christ and remember how easily distractions and self-reliance carried me away. My soul was left dry and restless. It wasn’t that Christ had moved, but I had not yet learned to dwell. And yet, by His grace, I now know the richness of a life lived near to Him. Abiding in His presence has become my deepest joy, and my soul is nourished in ways I could never manufacture on my own.
This is why Colossians 1:19 is so incredibly significant.
The One we are invited to abide in is not limited in any way. We are not drawing from something partial or incomplete but from the One in whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, fully and without measure.
Return and Remain
And for us, as women who desire to love God more deeply, this truth fuels both our affection and our pursuit. We do not have to strive to find more of God somewhere else or wonder if He is holding back. In Christ, we have been given access to the fullness of God, and we are invited to remain.
So when you open your Bible, you are meeting with the One who holds all fullness within Himself. When you pray, you are communing with the fullness of God. When you feel weary or dry, the invitation is not to perform better, but to return and remain.
And how tender and astonishing it is to remember that this invitation is not one-sided. He is not reluctant or distant, but deeply desirous of communion with you, delighting to draw you near and to make His home within your heart. The One who holds all fullness is not withholding Himself, but lovingly inviting you to experience more of Him, again and again, as you abide.
Take a moment to read verse 19 again slowly, letting the weight of these words settle into your heart as you consider what it means that we are invited to abide in this perfect, soul-satisfying fullness.
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
Thankfully, fullness is not something you or I have to chase. It is found in the One in whom all the fullness of God dwells, and in whom you are invited to remain.
