Colossians 2:1-23.
Colossians 2.1-23
"I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for
God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have
never met me. I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are
joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with
complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is
he the key to God's mystery, but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden
away in him. I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by
fancy talk. Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you.
I am glad to know that you are living as you should and that your
faith in Christ is strong.
Christ Brings Real Life
You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following
him. Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for
your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be
grateful.
Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These
arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come
from the powers of this world and not from Christ.
God lives fully in Christ. And you are fully grown because you belong
to Christ, who is over every power and authority. Christ has also
taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh
from the body. And when you were baptized, it was the same as being
buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith
in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. You were dead,
because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ
make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.
God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law
of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. There
Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them
being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.
Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them
say that you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any
other festival. These things are only a shadow of what was to come.
But Christ is real!
Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who
worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all
nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. They
are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body.
Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles
to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.
Christ Brings New Life
You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't have any
power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as,
"Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this."? After these
things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be
bothered with the rules that humans have made up? Obeying these rules
may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God
more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But
they don't really have any power over our desires."
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
"I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for
God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have
never met me. I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are
joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with
complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is
he the key to God's mystery, but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden
away in him. I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by
fancy talk. Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you.
I am glad to know that you are living as you should and that your
faith in Christ is strong.
Christ Brings Real Life
You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following
him. Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for
your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be
grateful.
Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These
arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come
from the powers of this world and not from Christ.
God lives fully in Christ. And you are fully grown because you belong
to Christ, who is over every power and authority. Christ has also
taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh
from the body. And when you were baptized, it was the same as being
buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith
in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. You were dead,
because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ
make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.
God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law
of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. There
Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them
being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.
Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them
say that you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any
other festival. These things are only a shadow of what was to come.
But Christ is real!
Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who
worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all
nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. They
are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body.
Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles
to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.
Christ Brings New Life
You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't have any
power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as,
"Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this."? After these
things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be
bothered with the rules that humans have made up? Obeying these rules
may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God
more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But
they don't really have any power over our desires."
Father God, forgive my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ down
to die on the cross and for shedding his blood for me. Three days
later you resurrected him. I accept that. I invite Jesus Christ into
my heart as my Lord and savior. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
God bless you.
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