Monday Devotional: July 18, 2022

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-15

It’s all about the roots. Deep roots mean a healthy plant. Shallow roots make a plant susceptible to drought and storms. We can say the same thing about the roots of the Christian faith. If they go deep, nothing will move us. If not, we may fall prey to every new whim and idea that comes along.

Paul knew this. The Colossians find themselves surrounded by all kinds of religions and beliefs that he calls hollow and deceptive philosophies. He warns them against the elemental forces of this world that are not of God.

In our modern world, a plethora of information bombards us every moment of every day. Inevitably some of this information will be of a “spiritual” nature: promises of new hope, new lives, new power, new abundance, and even new bodies- if we just believe. We can easily discern that some of these new ideas are false, and we can set them aside. But many are insidious in that they lay claim to Christian elements. Somehow, God gets all tangled up in spiritual practices outside our biblical frame of reference. Whether New Age or shamanism, Scientology or angel worship, pantheism or Spirit guides, or any of the many alternatives available to us, none of these so-called religions can give us what today’s reading promises: forgiveness of sins and a new life through the power of the Cross.

Christians not rooted deeply in Jesus can be lured into the belief that it’s okay to explore other avenues of faith. Although they desire a deeper relationship with God through different spiritual practices, they fail to see how slippery the slope is and how easily they can be drawn away from God.

Paul makes it quite clear: Jesus Christ is the reality. All else is shadow.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to be deeply rooted in you. Nourish my faith with your love and presence in my life. Today, bring me into a closer walk with you. Amen.

By Patricia Wilson, Upper Room Disciplines 2013, p. 249.