Take a moment to read Colossians 2:20-23 before reading the devotional below.
In case I didn’t make the point strongly enough in yesterday’s post, we get to spend another day dwelling on the truth that all your rules need to get thrown out the window. What do you think it takes to be a “good Christian”? What do you try to do to prove yourself to God? For me, I mash together the American values of productivity and “go big or go home” with spiritual ideas of doing big things for God. Is there some value in that? Sure, God can use it. But when I fall into that does it harm me? For sure. All that effort makes me forget that God just wants to sit with me.
Zoom in to verse 23: “These rules seem wise because they require strong devotion…” We can justify hanging on to our rules in a host of ways that sound super spiritual. But they do not make our hearts right. So the question is, “Why do we hold on to our rules?” I think we hold on to things that make us feel secure. If I do a “quiet time” for 15 minutes everyday in order to feel like a “good Christian,” then I can make a simple chart and track my devotion to God by checking off a box every day. The problem is that is not how God works.
Here’s your freedom for today: checking off boxes won’t get you closer to the heart of Jesus. So don’t check any boxes. Throw all your boxes away. How’s your heart condition? Can you sit with the fact that God loves you even if you don’t keep a spiritual chart? Do you truly believe he loves you even when you don’t feel like you measure up? Religion says that we need to do more good than bad to earn our way to God. Jesus says, “Let me take care of the impossible things, you just come with me.” Do you trust Jesus enough to let him save you?