Daily Devotions
Colossians
"A shadow of things to come..."
Text: Colossians 2:17
THE ORIGIN OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
The Lord Himself gave to the children of Israel their religious observances. He was the One who taught the people to keep the following:-
1. Dietary laws
2. Keeping of the religious feasts
3. Keeping of the Sabbath
These laws were carefully written in the Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy in particular. The children of Israel were commanded to keep these religious traditions.
THE LOSS OF MEANING
With the passage of time, the children of Israel lost the meaning of these religious traditions. They became empty rituals that they kept without fully comprehending what they did. Prophets of old were raised up to address these problems. One such prophet was Isaiah who told the people that the keeping of traditional practices was not accepted by the Lord (Isaiah 1:11-15). God desired His people to have good and clean lives! He rejected mere ritualism performed in the name of religion!
SHADOW AND SUBSTANCE
Paul sought to help the Colossians to comprehend an important truth!
“Which are a shadow of things to come,
but the substance is of Christ.”
Colossians 2:17