wEEKLY bIBLE rEADING
God’s Saving Word: Joy
God’s Guiding Word: Discipleship
INTRODUCTIONColossians 2:6–19: Paul warns the Colossians not to let anyone deceive them with false arguments. He encourages them to remain strong in faith, rooted in Christ Jesus.
SCRIPTURE READING6 Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. 7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.
8 See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. 9 For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, 10 and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.
11 In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful self. 12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. 13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; 14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. 15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities;[a] he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. 17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. 18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking 19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ’s control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
TODAY’S KEY VERSE: COLOSSIANS 2:6Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him.
REFLECTIn today’s reading, how is Paul’s message different from the message others are trying to teach the Colossians? What verses point to these differences? What messages in the world today attempt to lure people away from the life that God offers through Christ Jesus? Reread verses 11–15. What good news does Paul convey?
PRAYLord Jesus, I have accepted you as my Lord and Savior. My real life is with you. Keep me rooted in you and strengthen my faith each day as I live to serve you. Amen.
INTRODUCTIONColossians 2:6–19: Paul warns the Colossians not to let anyone deceive them with false arguments. He encourages them to remain strong in faith, rooted in Christ Jesus.
SCRIPTURE READING6 Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. 7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.
8 See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. 9 For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, 10 and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.
11 In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful self. 12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. 13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; 14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. 15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities;[a] he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. 17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. 18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking 19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ’s control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
TODAY’S KEY VERSE: COLOSSIANS 2:6Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him.
REFLECTIn today’s reading, how is Paul’s message different from the message others are trying to teach the Colossians? What verses point to these differences? What messages in the world today attempt to lure people away from the life that God offers through Christ Jesus? Reread verses 11–15. What good news does Paul convey?
PRAYLord Jesus, I have accepted you as my Lord and Savior. My real life is with you. Keep me rooted in you and strengthen my faith each day as I live to serve you. Amen.
Children & Youth Ministries
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. – John 15:4 (NIV)We’re busy. Life is busy. You’ve got school, you’ve got family responsibility, friends to talk to, the list goes on. And in the midst of all that, Jesus tell us to remain in Him. And that might feel a little difficult for you to know how to do. How do you spend time with Jesus when life is busy?
For many of us, it’s a matter of priority. We can make time for the things that are important to us. You can squeeze a little time for friends, or some time to talk to your mom. The same is true with your relationship with Jesus. More than likely, you can find somewhere to squeeze Jesus into your daily routine. It might be that you need to pray and ask God how to do it. But if you look, you can probably find some time to remain in Jesus.
Maybe before you fall asleep each night you can talk to Him. Then when you are getting dressed or freshening up for the morning, maybe you can think about a scripture that you like, instead of talking to a friend or watching TV. Maybe you ride the bus or have a car ride during your day. You could use that time to spend reading your Bible. If you make it a priority, you can find time to remain in Jesus during the day.
Why should you do this? Because remaining in Him will be the thing that will fulfill you like nothing else. As you remain in Him, you get wisdom, insight and understanding. Remaining in Jesus shouldn’t feel like a chore. Instead, if you’ll let it, it can be an exciting adventure of learning more about God.
So today, ask God to help you prioritize your time so that you can remain in Him. You’ll be glad that you put the effort in to remain in Him.
For many of us, it’s a matter of priority. We can make time for the things that are important to us. You can squeeze a little time for friends, or some time to talk to your mom. The same is true with your relationship with Jesus. More than likely, you can find somewhere to squeeze Jesus into your daily routine. It might be that you need to pray and ask God how to do it. But if you look, you can probably find some time to remain in Jesus.
Maybe before you fall asleep each night you can talk to Him. Then when you are getting dressed or freshening up for the morning, maybe you can think about a scripture that you like, instead of talking to a friend or watching TV. Maybe you ride the bus or have a car ride during your day. You could use that time to spend reading your Bible. If you make it a priority, you can find time to remain in Jesus during the day.
Why should you do this? Because remaining in Him will be the thing that will fulfill you like nothing else. As you remain in Him, you get wisdom, insight and understanding. Remaining in Jesus shouldn’t feel like a chore. Instead, if you’ll let it, it can be an exciting adventure of learning more about God.
So today, ask God to help you prioritize your time so that you can remain in Him. You’ll be glad that you put the effort in to remain in Him.