- These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2:17 – Have you ever seen a scary looking shadow? Maybe it was through a window or down a hall. Yet you realize the shadow isn’t anything to worry about because while it may seem to have substance, it really is just something trying to appear scary. Our passage today talks about the law and all the doing and don’t-ing people do to justify themselves with God. Paul wants them to know all their following the law is just a shadow that appears to have substance. While it may look like holiness, it’s just the shadow and has no actual way of helping you reach holiness. God wants us to stop living in the shadow and begin living in Christ. All that we do outside of Jesus to make ourselves good with God is like chasing a shadow. Seems worthwhile, but even if we step on the shadow we still haven’t grasped anything. Stop chasing after the shadow and chase the one who the shadow is of. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 548
- See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8 – While this verse uses terms like “philosophy” and “empty deceit” and that may make us confused at what exactly Paul is getting at here, the message is simple. You know the truths of Scripture, stick with that and don’t let the words of the world cloud those truths. For we will have very smart, very head-knowledge people who begin from a worldly standpoint speak into our lives and condemn our faith in Jesus. We will have culture lying to us about the pleasures and freedom that come with sinful behavior. We’ll even have our spiritual enemy working his words and ways into our story seeking to stray us away from the truth of Jesus. So then as Paul begins this verse, “see to it that no one takes you captive.” See to it that no one finds themselves as a bigger voice in your story than Jesus. See to it that no truth of this world trumps the truth of scripture. See to it that the enemy doesn’t find victory over your mind and the ways you choose to live. Is this sort of “choosing” going to be a one-and-done sort of thing, where you just have to make that choice one time to listen to only Jesus and you’ll be golden for the rest of your days? I wish that were so, but choosing to listen and follow the words of our Savior is going to be a daily, even multiple times daily, sort of thing. For if our enemy is speaking lies into our story multiple times a day, then we’ll have to choose Jesus’ truths multiple times a day too. Thankfully we have God’s word to stand on every time a deception comes our way and we can have confidence staying true to His word is best for our lives. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2407
Daily DEVO 