A Call to Go Deep

Scripture:
"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." Colossians 2: 6-7

Observation:
There is a great deal of conflict created by people trying to universally apply personal convictions to the entire body of Christ. In this chapter, the church at Colosse was really screwed up. The Jews and mystics of the time had added many things to their faith. They were still observing many aspects of the Mosaic Law with regards to Holy days, rituals, and dietary restrictions and they were also accepting philosophical arguments from a religious sect that claimed to have a higher word than what was given by Jesus.

The do's and don'ts of religion get confusing at times. There just seems to be so much left to interpretation and there also seems to be too many people willing to offer their interpretation. Much time has passed since Paul penned this letter to the early church at Colosse, but the same junk is going on today. I grew up in churches that often added to my salvation conditions for acceptance by God. I think the same is true for most people. No one ever intentionally led me astray with false teaching, but I was taught that my acceptance with God was based on my good behavior and how well I avoided bad behavior.

Application:
I still struggle with this today. My childhood training kicks in and I feel really close to God when I do something good and consequently I feel rejected by God when I do something bad. This creates inside of me a roller coaster of emotions consisting of extreme highs and lows based on what my scorecard looks like. It is hard to be firmly rooted in God when my feelings are so all over the place. I need to learn to ground myself in the truth of God's word. In this verse, Paul issues a call to go deep in my relationship with God.

Prayer:
Often times I struggle to stand firm simply because I do not know what I believe. I am easily swayed because I really do not own the truths that guide my life. I take things that people teach me and those things become my moral compass. I am tired of living that way. Protect me from the empty teachings and philosophies of tradition and legalism. You came to set me free not only from my sin, but from religion as well. You have canceled the debt of my sin and you have also done away with my obligation under the law. You made me alive together with Christ. Open my eyes and give me the knowledge I need to fully understand this. I pray that you take me deep in my understand of You, Your truth, and Your ways. Let me own these things as my own and be firmly rooted in them.