To Whom Do We Listen?

In him you also were circumcised -- not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ. Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead. And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:11-15


One reason Paul wrote to the people of Colossae was to warn them of false teachings. Paul wanted them to know there was no reason to believe and rely on these teachings – they had the Lord and they had the gift He gave to us when He gave us his Son on the cross.

Due to these false teachings, the Colossians had many wrong ideas about Jesus and many wrong ideas about the customs and traditions of the time. One of these was in relation to circumcision. They were being taught they must be circumcised to be right with God. However, Paul makes it clear to them that this is not true. By placing our lives in the hands of God, by trusting Him and surrendering to Him, by putting off the sins of this world – that is how we are circumcised. It is not the physical act of circumcision that makes us right with God. It is the spiritual circumcision, the putting off of the sins of the world and discarding our old lives to be made new in Christ.

Because Jesus gave his life on the cross, there is no need for traditions and “acts” to find our way to God or to our eternal home in heaven. Thru Jesus we have all we will ever need – grace, mercy, forgiveness, a relationship with God.

While reading thru the commentary on this passage at Enduring Word, I found this –

“Paul wrote in another place that if the rulers of this age – by which he meant both the spiritual powers of darkness and their earthly representative – had known what would happen on the cross, they would have never crucified Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:8). They were defeating themselves and didn’t even know it.”


All those teaching falsely and insisting we must live by the “law” as opposed to God’s Word were intimidated by Jesus. He took away their perceived control and their power when he came to earth as a man. They began to feel insecure in their own teachings and in their position in the religious and political communities of the time. They felt the only way to change this was to “get rid of” Jesus. But, oh, how wrong they were. And, oh, how thankful I am!!

As I look around at the world today, I see some of the same things taking place -- people filled with insecurities and fears and placing the blame on God. It’s so much easier to place the blame on Him rather than to take responsibility ourselves and turn our lives over to God, isn’t it?

I suspect that someday these same people in our world today may feel similar to how those that persecuted Jesus might feel if they had lived to see and experience the outcome of their actions. They are trying to fight off God’s Word and diminish it and ultimately missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime – ETERNITY!

A Whole Lot of Random

How's summer going for you all? I hope you are having as much fun as we are! In fact, it's all going so well that I'm struggling to sit down and write out a blog post. I've about decided that, while I'm be around this summer, I may be around a little less than I am the rest of the year. This is just such a prime time of the year for all kinds of other things... and things that are really important (you know, like that family and all those friends!).

Anyhow, how about a little taste of what we've been doing lately? Our highlight so far this month was probably 4th of July weekend. We took several families we are friends with and headed up to my husband's family farm. Years ago when he was just a little kiddo his Dad purchased this piece of land and he grew up going out there, helping out, playing, fishing, etc. It's got a lake that is great for fishing and has great places for hanging out to grill up a great meal and maybe, just maybe shoot off way too many fireworks! Yes, we did all of that last weekend and had such a good time. We had three families together with a total of 8 kids between the ages of 16 and 4. I can't even begin to tell you how great it was so see all these big kids playing with the little kids -- hanging out with them, trying to teach them to fish, etc. Very cool!

We're also in the midst of swim lessons. Both Josh and Abby are taking their first swim lessons ever this summer. Josh loves water but, for some reason, has always been fearful of taking lessons (I think it has something to do with the big 'ole swimming pool as opposed to the backyard waterslide and other smaller versions of water fun). A few weeks ago, though, when we went swimming with all his cousins he started getting a little braver. He hasn't turned back since and both he and Abby are having a blast with these lessons. And, I must say, I'm having such fun watching!

Let's see... what else is going on? Oh, yes! Look over there to the right and you'll see I've put up a new poll for charities. Since I was able to send $25.00 (actually, I think it was $26.50 to be exact) to St. Jude Children's Hospital last week from the money raised by running the ads on my blog, I've now put up a new poll for who gets the next check. Place your vote now and we'll see where it will go. If you've got one that you love, but isn't on the list just leave it in the comments and I'll get it added.

In closing, I'd like to ask that you continue to pray for my aunt and uncle. As I shared with you several weeks ago, my uncle has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I'd like to ask that you pray for his health. However, I'd also like to ask that you pray for both of them as they walk this road together. Please pray they would feel God's presence with them in a very real way and that they would be able to just turn it all over to God... that they would put their trust in Him and allow Him to guide them and comfort them during this time.

And, now I'm off to get the rest of the "weekday stuff" done so I can move on to the weekend. We've got plans for relaxing (hmmm... I've got that on my mind alot lately, huh?), date night for hubby and I, followed by church on Sunday with more of that relaxing thing going on.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I've got to figure out how to cook salmon, too! What, you say? Well, Josh has recently become a huge fan of The Food Network. Our standard Saturday morning lately is for the two of us to curl up on the sofa together and watch his favorite Food Network shows that we've recorded during the week. He particularly loves the ones that are a type of competition (Chopped, Iron Chef, The Next Food Network Star). A few weeks ago the weekly winner on The Next Food Network Star had her recipe published in Good Housekeeping. He would have nothing until we got that magazine so we could get her salmon recipe. I've never cooked salmon before, so we'll see how this goes.... should be fun! :)

Have a great weekend!!

Where is Your Focus?

Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form, and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. " Colossians 2:8-10

As in other parts of Colossians, Paul begins this passage with a warning not to be taken in by other beliefs and traditions that are not of Christ. One of the key messages from Paul here is that we need to turn away from the beliefs of the world and turn to Christ.

The philosophies of this time were a mix of early Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, local mystery religions and Jewish mysticism. All of these presented great danger as any of it could easily sneak into their lives because it had a sound of great intelligence.

To get a bit more specific, here are a few of the beliefs the Paul was trying to warn of:

* Gnosticism taught that God could never be in direct contact with anything or anyone of this world. If this were true, God would not have created the world (Gnosticism taught that God worked through lesser spirits or angels to create the world), Jesus would never have walked this earth and we would have no personal relationship with God (Gnosticism taught that God deals with us through mediators/angelic beings).

* The Jewish influence emphasized dietary laws and specific days that must be observed.

* Both Gnosticism and the Jewish influence taught that traditions were very important, but Paul warned against the "tradition of men" and guided them the authority of the word of God.

* Both Gnosticism and the Jews also believed in "cause and effect". In other words, I did this bad thing so I deserve to have this other bad thing happen to me as punishment. Paul pointed out this behavior as being "grace-eliminating". God is a God full of grace and mercy not of "cause and effect".

As we follow God and His authority, we find there is no need for these philosophies and traditions. If we read verses 9 and 10 again, we see we are complete through our connection in Him. The gift Jesus gave to us on the cross takes care of everything. There is no need for anything else.

As I read thru the common beliefs held during the time Paul wrote to the Colossians, I was amazed at the similarities we see in our world today. We may not call them the same things, but they are there. How often do we hear people speak about "deserving what they get because of their behavior" or "if I'm a good person I'll go to heaven"? What about those beliefs that Jesus was just a prophet or a good person? Lines up a bit with believing the God could never have contact with this world, doesn't it? And, I could go on and on.

We encounter the same things today as the Colossians did so many years ago. The world has changed, but the same basic beliefs and principles still exist. We must still be careful today. It is just as important for us today to heed Paul's warnings as it was for the Colossians so many years ago.