Colossians 2:23 – These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
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As Paul writes to the church at Colossi, he uncovers for us an important lesson about Christianity. The Colossians had backed away from biblical Christianity, applying for themselves laws and rules that go far beyond what God had commanded. They believed that they could buy God’s favor by doing certain right religious actions, by knowing certain secret truths, and by obeying certain specific ceremonies. But God lets them know through Paul that such things are not what a relationship with God is about.
For you and me, it is very tempting to fall into the very same trap that captured the Colossians so many years ago. It is very easy for us to think that the way that we will follow God is by creating for ourselves a series of rules and regulations that will make us become exactly the kind of people we should be. Often, those rules and regulations that we make for ourselves are rules that go beyond the commands of scripture. For example, we might try to require ourselves or others to have a particular amount of time that must be spent every day in prayer. We might tell people that, if they are not spending an hour in prayer, they are missing the mark. We might tell them that they must be reading some particular book, watching some particular pastor on DVD, or going to some particular conference if they want to be truly spiritually changed. But, if we do these things, we are missing the point.
It may be that our rules are good rules. It may be that it would help us or others to pray for more than an hour per day or to read the writings of great men of God. However, if we pretend that our rules are the things that will truly keep people from sin and make them more like Christ, we lead people toward a superstitious legalism instead of a faithful Christianity. People will never stop sinning simply because there are rules imposed on them. People will stop sinning when, by the power of God’s word and God’s Spirit, they have a different heart toward their sin. People will grow, not simply through regular spiritual practices, but when those spiritual disciplines come out of a heart that has been changed by the supernatural power of God.
Today, if you are going through the motions of Christianity or of some legalistic system, I urge you to change. I am not necessarily telling you to stop what you are doing. If you are praying because of your legalistic system, I do not tell you to stop praying. Instead, I urge you to go to God seeking the right heart to go behind your prayers. Change, not based on some externally applied rules, but from the change that comes via a changed heart. Change because God is working change in your heart, and the change that occurs will last.
Dear Lord, I come to you today, and I ask that you will help me to see any empty, superstitious, or legalistic practices that I have in my Christian life. I pray that you will then work in my heart to do things rightly for the sake of your name. Help me not to fall into sin, making the excuse that my heart isn’t feeling right. Instead, help me to follow you rightly, according to your commands in your word, out of a heart that has truly been changed by the marvelous grace of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Travis Peterson 