Colossians 2:16-23; Psalm 92

Colossians 2:16-23
Our focus must be on faith in Christ alone. In Paul's day, Christians were judged by the Jews because they were not following the dietary laws or observing the Jewish holy days. "For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality." v. 17  There were (and are) other forms of false teaching as well. We are not to let anyone judge or condemn us for not following non-Biblical rules or visions or anything else. Our authority is in Christ, and we trust Him alone! And we find out about Him through His Word. We are responsible to Him, and we are connected to Him who is the head of the body. We grow by being nourished by God through His Word.

When we placed our faith in Christ, we were given a new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so our old life has died with Him. We are free from the spiritual powers of this world. Paul is not saying that all rules are bad or wrong, but he is saying that they will not earn us our salvation. Putting aside sinful practices is a RESULT of what Christ has done in our lives.

The Life Application Study Bible says we can guard against false religions by asking these questions about any religious group.

• Does it stress man-made rules and taboos rather than God's grace?
• Does it foster a critical spirit toward others?
• Does it stress formulas, secret knowledge, or special visions?
• Does it elevate self-righteousness?
• Does it claim to be an elite group?
• Does it disregard the family?

Following religious rules takes self-discipline and may appear to be a good thing, but religious rules cannot change a person's heart. Only the Holy Spirit within us can do that. v. 23

Psalm 92
This is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise. I truly believe that thankfulness and praise are strong medicine to keep us from jealously, dissatisfaction, discouragement, anxiety, depression...and lots of other negative emotions. "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening." vv. 1-2.  It's hard to have a bad attitude when we're giving thanks to God and praising Him.  And it doesn't hurt to be thankful to people as well. Most of us have many people in our lives who are deserving of our thanks.

We can praise God for His wonderful works toward us. vv. 3-7 God will be exalted forever, v. 8, and He will bless the godly all their lives. "Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, 'The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!'" v. 15