Today’s Scripture: Colossians 2:6-10
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Today’s Devotional
When I decided to attend seminary I was reminded of something that I had heard “old-timers” in my home congregation say. Whenever someone would talk about attending seminary they would admonish them with the phrase: “Don’t let it ruin you.”
What the heck did that mean??
Well on some level it meant “don’t forget where you come from.” In other words, when you get an education there is potential to forget your roots and build your life on something else. Their admonition was a reminder to not let go of our history and how we were raised.
On another level it meant “don’t get any fancy ideas in your head.” In other words, don’t let new and strange ideas about the Bible and Christ and God “ruin” the foundation you’ve been given. Apparently people coming back “ruined” from seminary was a thing.
Paul, in this passage in Colossians, is telling his readers basically the same thing. Sometimes we can hear all kinds of “empty philosophies” and “high-sounding nonsense” that pull us away from the very basic and simple foundation of Christianity: in Christ we see God; through Christ we are reconciled with God; with Christ we are complete – no additional steps needed.
I think we tend to complicate things too often. And while that might not “ruin” us, it’s does cloud the picture. As we are reading though the New Testament, I am discovering once again the simplicity of the truth about Christ.
As Paul encouraged the Colossians, so he encourages us to put down roots into Christ and let the high-sounding nonsense float away. It’s the best way to not be ruined.
Today’s Prayer
God sometimes we get so caught up in new ideas that we forget the foundation. Help us this week to reclaim the simplicity of following Christ.
Amen
This Week’s Immerse Passages:
Day 16 Jan. 25 pp. 190-202 Rom 8:31-16:27
Day 17 Jan. 26 pp. 203-214 Phm; Col 1:1-4-18
Day 18 Jan. 27 pp. 215-224 Eph 1:1-6:24
Day 19 Jan. 28 pp. 225-241 Phi 1:1-4:23; 1Tim 1:1-6:21
Day 20 Jan. 29 pp. 243-255 Tit 1:1-3:15; 2Tim 1:1-4:22
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