Colossians 2:20-23
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" 22 ( referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
ESV
This is a continuation of the conversation from the previous passage where Paul flatly said that in Christ, we are victorious, and his encouragement to the Colossians (and to us) is to not go back to the old ways of thinking and doing. We now have this incredible relationship with Jesus. We are now part of God’s covenant family, and we are free. We are no longer ruled and controlled by those old patterns and practices, rules and regulations, so why would we even possibly consider going back and letting those things hold sway over us ever again?
On the outside, these rules and regulations look good, especially in the light of the multitude of pagan gods of the first-century culture. The rules and regulations in connection with Judaism offered a very distinctive choice for new Gentile believers. These rules and regulations had the appearance of being beneficial, but to submit to or let those rules and regulations have influence over us is giving up our freedom in our relationship with Jesus and putting the shackles back on or rebuilding the walls of our own prison that Jesus has torn down through His death on the cross which was a key concern of Paul in Galatians.
Please note that in this passage Paul isn’t saying that we are not free to simply do whatever we want. Paul is specifically talking about religious practices that are designed to set up a system that one must follow to be deemed “right” before the Lord, and Paul points out that there is nothing of spiritual value in them compared to the victory of Christ.
Great stuff, but so what? I get it, we are free in Christ but what do I do with all of this? How do I avoid getting into the same bind that I was in before? How do I sidestep those things that would suck me back into old habits and patterns?
The answer…, space.
To be clear, it’s intentionally putting yourself in a quiet space where you can grow in your relationship with Christ.
What I’m talking about here is silence, solitude, and stillness. It’s finding that time, that place where you can be alone with Jesus each and every day: reading scripture, talking to Jesus, and listening for His larger, quieter voice. As Henri Nouwen (a great Christian and author) said in his work Making All Things New, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life… If we really believe not only that God exists but also that he is actively present in our lives—healing, teaching and guiding—we need to set aside a time and space to give him our undivided attention.”
Simply put, solitude is a place and a time without distraction, a place and time where you will meet Jesus every day, a place and time where you will grow in your relationship with Jesus as you come to know, love, and serve Him more and more. Why? Because if you’ve given your life to Jesus, you’re in a relationship with Him, and you need to know that He wants you to be with Him. Through your time of simply being your relationship with Jesus, you will grow and become awesome in ways beyond what you could possibly imagine.
I’m not going to give you any rules, patterns, or practices. All I’m doing here is encouraging you to find that place for just you and Jesus. We do it all the time for every other relationship that matters to us; why not with Jesus? After all, He has won victory for you through His birth, life, death, and resurrection, and it’s wonderfully ridiculous that He wants to meet with you and me one-on-one.
So what will you do? Are you willing to meet with Jesus and let Him speak into your life, or are you still going to hold onto those chains while rebuilding the walls?
God bless you. Know that I’ve been praying for you.
Scott