Colossians 2:6-23
Reflect
In this passage, Paul is warning against a kind of teaching that stresses keeping rules, but lacks meaningful connection or relationship with God. Instead of true humility before God, gratitude for His forgiveness (vs7,13), and expression of need for His resurrection life to our truly transform our fallen, broken places (vs10-12), this teaching results in a kind of pride (false humility) that boasts in an external, image-based form of spirituality that only masks selfish motivation (vs20-23).
God loves us too much to let us think we can improve ourselves. In the words of Eugene Peterson (in his translation of Lk. 9:24), “self-help is no help at all.” We cannot change ourselves from the outside in. This is not God’s plan or expectation, and so He invites us to live out of an honest relationship, “rooted and built up in Him,” (v7) in which we’re honest with Jesus about the areas of sin and brokenness that need His transforming power to change us. Then we find ourselves living by His truth as our default, not by trying harder.
Apply
Where are you struggling to follow God? Be honest with Him about this. Ask for His transforming power in this area and talk to a trusted fellow Christian about it.
Pastor Lyle
Pray
- Pray for our Prime Minister and Premier, Mayor Sohi, your MP, your MLA, and any other government officials God brings to your mind.
- Pray for Dave Schneider, our Youth and Worship Pastor and Erin Gibbard, Youth Ministry Associate.
- Pray for all our small group leaders.