Read Colossians 2:6-23
OBSERVATION:
Read verses 6-10.
- Highlight the instructions Paul gives.
- Highlight in a different color the results of following these instructions.
Read verses 11-15.
- Underline each of the phrases that begin with “you”.
- Compare these phrases to the words of Verses 13-15. “Then God made you . . .”
Read verses 16-19.
- List the things for which the Colossians should not let anyone condemn them for.
- How do those in Christ compare to those who are not (vs. 19)?
Read verses 20-23.
- What reasons do the authors give for our continued desire to follow rules?
INTERPRETATION:
- Which rules were the Colossians tempted to fall back under the influence of?
- Why did they need to hear these words about new life in Christ?
- What effect might falling back into the old way of following rules have on the community?
APPLICATION:
- What rules are you tempted to use as your standard for being a ‘good Christian’?
- How does this differ from these words about new life in Christ?
- How does our tendency to want to follow rules effect our relationships in the community of believers?
PRAY:
Pray for the ability and desire to trust God. Often we fall back into a rule-oriented way of thinking because it gives us a sense of control – a checklist we can use to assess ourselves and others. Trusting God and the power of transformation in our hearts is a much more difficult way for us to live. Pray for the ability to see others as children of God who are often struggling with many of the same issues that we are or even worse. Pray that God will remove our judgmental hearts and replace them with hearts full of the love of Christ.
Sojourners y Peregrinas 