Devo 4: No More Rules!

(I have been asked to write a couple of devotionals for our church and thought I'd include them on this site. Enjoy!)

“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules…” (Col. 2:20)

Do you ever feel like you’re only “holy” if you do something “holy”? You know; you’re only a “Good Christian” if:

1) You pray 3 hours a day (brownie points if you do it in one sitting)
2) You memorize 12 verses a week
3) You read the whole Bible in a year…

Such rules are fine; but do they really make us good Christians? Not according to Colossians 2:20.

What else happened when Christ died on the cross? He took the penalty for our sins; but is that all that He did? No! He not only took the punishment of sin[1], but He also fulfilled the Law.[2] The Law is the set of “religious” rules that requires us to perform sacrifices and rituals so that God would consider us “holy”. However, when Christ was crucified as the Perfect Sacrifice, He completely satisfied all of the religious rules and regulations, and we are released from having to worry about them. In Christ, we not only die to our sins, but also to the curse of the Law![3]

Even so, we still feel like we have to perform some rules in order to at least look holy, right?

Imagine a group of boarding school students all dressed up in their cute little uniforms. The boys have on their suit coats and ties with shirts neatly tucked in. The girls are wearing their pretty dresses with panty hose. They all look so nice from the outside. But in reality, they are all extremely uncomfortable. The coats are stuffy, the ties are choking, the hose is scratchy, and the dresses are tight. They are children, known for playfulness and freedom, but they are trapped in their outerwear for the sake of “looking” sharp.

It’s the same with us when we try to “look” holy. We get bogged down trying to be “good Christians”. We feel like we have to pray an hour a day; we have to read seven chapters a night; we have to do this or that...but this is not what Christ meant for us! He died so we could have and enjoy our lives![4] He already fulfilled the requirements of holiness! We don’t have to do things to be holy. We are holy because Christ made us holy.[5]

Put the rulebooks away. Lose the tie. Relax and enjoy the good life the Lord has given to you in Christ.

[1] ref. Isa. 53:5 & Rom. 8:2
[2] Matt. 5:17
[3] Gal. 3:13
[4] Jn. 10:10 (AMP)
[5] Heb. 10:10

Wait Training

When I played basketball, my coach used to require us (players) to perform some of our drills wearing weights around our ankles. These were never my favorite exercises, in fact...I despised them. Those weights wore me down! Everything that used to come so easily, such as dribbling maneuvers, quick feet defense, not to mention running up and down the court, required much more physical and mental effort when sporting those nuisances. All of us girls on the team would groan when we saw our coach pull them out of the closet! And oh, how we wanted to take the weights off in the middle of practice, but our coach always reinforced the importance of building endurance. "You'll thank me later," he'd say. He was right. When time came for our team to play in a tournament, all of us were faster, stronger, and in much better condition than our opponents because we all had persevered through our weight-training.

The Lord got me thinking about this about a month ago when some of my physical symptoms in this illness mimic the same physical strain of those training-day experiences. It literally feels as if I am wearing a lead suit; as if I have several of those weights tied to both my hands and ankles. The Lord reminded me of how grateful I was for the discipline in my basketball training because of the difference the added weight made in the actual game performance. Though the discipline at the time was unpleasant-it did have its rewards in the end. The same truth is applicable now; though at present, this illness and its symptoms are not pleasant, they are building in me an endurance and perseverance that will equip me with God's strength to run faster and stronger the race the Lord has called me to run in due time.

Why does Paul admonish us to rejoice in our sufferings? (ref. Rom. 5:3) Because God is fashioning in us perseverance, character, and hope (vs. 4-5) so that when He does bring us out of our problems, we will run faster, harder, and stronger by the power of His Spirit formed in us to overcome and outlast our enemy.

That's why Isaiah says, "those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint". (Isa. 40:31) Trials are God's version of "wait-training". He's up to something. And when we come out of the trial, we will be ready to pursue the good life the Lord has called us to live!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12:11)

Devo 3: Spread Your Wings and Fly!

(I have been asked to write a couple of devotionals for our church and thought I'd include them on this site. Enjoy!)

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1)

After we are saved, there is a great temptation to think about and feel guilty over our pasts. But Jesus does not want us to be consumed by the condemning thoughts of our former lives. We have been raised out of our sin. Christ desires for us to focus all our thoughts on Him, see Him as the Savior who sits high upon Heaven’s throne, reflect upon His goodness towards us, and enjoy the new life that He has now given us.

Look at a butterfly. Its colors are radiant; its wings glisten in the sun as it dances through the air, gracefully gliding to and fro. It flies so joyfully and freely as if it were singing to the music of its own inner song. But the butterfly was not always so beautiful. In fact, it was the farthest from anything desirable or pleasant. It began its life as a worm. A squishy, slimy larva that oozed its way up and down plant stems, feasting on dirt and grime. But do you think the butterfly reflects on those days? Certainly not! It has been completely transformed into a new creation; it will never be a worm again! It spends its time soaring in beautiful array, feasting on the sweet pollen of elegant flowers!

The same happens when we ask Jesus to take over our lives. We are completely recreated in Christ as a new creature[1]! We are not who we were before we met Jesus. We are reborn, sanctified, and made anew by the Blood of Christ[2]! Can you imagine a butterfly, as beautiful as it is, staying on the ground, never spreading its wings, and continuing to eat the grime of its former life? Then how can we, the righteousness of God in Christ[3], possibly try to “relive” in our minds the old ways of our flesh? We are no longer those people and will never be again! We are dead to sin and alive to Christ Jesus[4]!

Stop thinking about your past. Look to the Christ of your present. Take your example from the butterfly; spread your wings and fly!



[1] 2 Cor. 2:15
[2] 1 Cor. 6:11
[3] 2 Cor. 5:21
[4] Rom. 6:11