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Found in Christ

Found in Christ

Words of Faith 10-30-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Colossians 2

[16] Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  [17] These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

      

        Rules always seem to creep in.  We need a few to at least order our lives, but they should not rule our relationships.  That was the problem in Colosse. 

        There were promoters of a rule-centered religion in Colosse.  They had not only attempted to promote the ritual of circumcision, but they also tried to enforce religious entrenched in Jewish custom, the eating of kosher food, observance of the feasts, Sabbaths, and the “new moon” celebration at the beginning of each new month. The rules could get pretty elaborate.

       One problem with rules is that never really build relationship.  Faith is all about a relationship of trust with our creator.  We never really get that from rules. 

       Another problem with rules is that they were made to be broken.  Rules cannot make one more holy.  Rules mark the parameters of what is unholy; they do not direct one toward holiness.  When we adopt a rule, at some point, we are bound to fail to keep it. We fail and come short, then, where are we?

       But the biggest problem is that we can never approach God and become acceptable to God through rules or laws or rituals or anything else we might undertake by our own efforts. Why? Because God is perfect, and to approach God, we have to be perfect. We cannot be that good.  We cannot obey all the rules.

       You see, rules and feasts were never meant to get us to God; they simply point us to God.  Rules and feasts were always a shadow of the things that were to come.  The rules and feasts pointed toward the coming of Christ.  It is only in Christ that we will find forgiveness and holiness. 

       We are not perfect, so He will have to provide a way for us to be credited or imputed with perfection. This is the glorious Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. When we trust the righteousness and perfection of Jesus Christ, then God counts our trust in His dear Son as righteousness. When we focus upon God's Son and honor Christ with our trust and our lives, God honors us for honoring His Son. God honors us by counting us righteous and perfect in the righteousness of Christ.

       So, reality is found in Christ.  Or perhaps we could put it this way; we find reality when we are found in Christ.

 

      Father God, may I be found in Christ Jesus.  May I be found trusting in Christ Jesus alone.  May I find the completion of every effort and endeavor in Christ alone.  In Jesus’ Name.

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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