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Are you trying to be a better person today?
It is exhausting isn’t it?!
People near to you can pressure you to work hard at your image and your lifestyle. They want you to be a certain person for your own good, for society, for them!
Some of those things that they ask you to do may not be bad in themselves. But the reason why you agree to them is very important.
This is the Colossians problem.
The Apostle writes, “Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.” (Colossians 2 v 20-22)
Man’s religious rules and expectations for your life may appear that they are to make you a better person and that is why many become trapped by them.
However, ask yourself, is this bringing me nearer to Christ?
Is this making me look more like Christ?
When I died with Christ I gave up the need to prove myself to anyone, so why start now?
The asceticism that focuses on what we are giving up (Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch) rather than why or who we are giving them up for, is pointless.
Paul is not saying religious rules are wrong. We do need disciplines. But he is saying that if it is not flowing out of our relationship with Christ then they are useless.
Those who set such rules know nothing of what it means to die with Christ and to have laid down all our feeble efforts in this life to be someone and achieve something.
So before you agree to a DO NOT ask yourself WHY NOT?
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Missions Paul 