Tuesday, August 22: Colossians 2- Christ and Christ Alone.

The words played in my mind like a song, “We will worship Christ and Christ alone…” That’s what Paul is saying in Colossians 2. Not human traditions (an apparent reference to Judaism and any other ‘works based’ approaches to God).  Not elemental forces (which today comes in the garb of New Age spirituality and other power from this world kind of Eastern or Native American spirituality). NO, for Christ-followers, it is Christ and Christ alone.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead (6-12).

Immediately the Lord began probing my life. Have I consciously or unconsciously adopted any add-ins to Christ and Christ alone?

Obvious ones like horoscopes, searching for the right Chi, filling my house with certain crystals, following the way of the Buddha, or checking in with a shaman, or tribal healer or…  or less obvious ways like seeking ‘portals’ where God is present or believing holy mountains or particular shrines are filled with God’s power.  These are ways elemental powers can creep into our lives.

Then there are human traditions, whether they be things like certain feasts, which must be followed or praying in certain directions and at mandated times or the veneration of other human beings. When these forms and practices become rules and laws then Christ has been moved off the center displaced by these human teachings and traditions. When this happens we have ventured into dangerous territory.

God brought me back to verse 8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

I am left to wrestle with this thought and see if I have fallen prey in any way to human traditions or elemental spiritual forces…

How about you?

Lord, it is so easy, especially unconsciously, to add in other things to Christ and Christ alone. Keep me safe. Keep me pure by keeping me close to You and Your world. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.