From Paul's Letter to the Colossians 2: 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
I love angels, but I don't worship them. I like seeing the cute figurines of angels and being reminded that I do believe in the living and powerful presence of them in my life and in the lives of my loved ones and in the lives of believers; but I don't worship them. There are some who collect these angel figures but I would hope they do not worship them; for such was the main intent of this letter from Paul to those in Colossae. The church there was battling a new belief where all matter was considered evil and thus, Christ as human, was evil. This new belief also said that angels were superior to Christ and therefore, worthy of our worship. Paul says, Hold on! That is not what you were taught, how can you come to this outlandish notion and call it faith? Here's Paul's reminder and invitation back to faith for these: 1) You received Christ Jesus as Lord; what a wonderful gift, so 2) Live your lives in Him. 3) You are rooted in Christ. Stay rooted (connected!). 4) You were built up in Him; all your training and teaching has pointed to the above teachings, continue to be built up! 5) Give thanks for Jesus. Not only with your lips, but that's a great place to start, but also with your actions and your gifts. Show people that Jesus lives in you! 6) Stay strong in Christ. Do not let anyone lead you away from Jesus. There are some smooth talkers out there who can use philosophy and empty promises, most of them lies, don't fall for them! 7) Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human. Hard to understand, hard to explain, but it is one of the roots of our faith. 8) Through Jesus we have come to the fullness of life. In Jesus we go beyond merely existing and we truly have come alive. Continue to live in that way. 8) Jesus' presence in our life cut away the things that should not be in us, and 9) through our baptism we have been placed in Christ Jesus and raised with Him from the dead. 10) We have been made alive in this life and in the life to come, through Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness He offers to you and me. All record of our wrongs have been forgiven and forgotten; look at the empty cross and see there your name and beside it, the word FORGIVEN.
The rest of the verses, starting with verse 15 speak to what was being asked of those believers; You should not be condemned by what you eat or drink or by what festivals you attend; nothing disqualifies us from true fellowship and true life in Jesus Christ. You don't have to whip or cut yourself or worship angels to become a part of this heresy that the church in Colossae faced. Our only growth comes from God.
A daily life of prayer is what keeps us rooted and following the list found above. A daily reading of God's Word keeps us growing, steadily and strongly. In God we find truth defined; no one else can do that for us. Seek to find for yourself what God is saying.
PRAYER: Loving Lord, speak to my heart and keep me rooted in love, faith, compassion and especially in You. Let me not fall for anything; instead help me to stand for You and what You stand for. Bless my life so that I may be a blessing to those who have not yet heard about nor received You. This I pray in Thy name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
