Eyes on Christ

In Colossians 2:16-23, we encounter a powerful warning about the danger of chasing shadows when we already possess the substance. The central message confronts us with a crucial question: are we living in the freedom Christ has won for us, or are we allowing ourselves to be dragged back into bondage? Paul reminds the Colossian believers that all the Old Testament festivals, feasts, and rituals were merely shadows pointing forward to Jesus, who is the complete fulfillment. Now that Christ has come, we don't need to keep staring at the shadows when the whole picture stands before us. This teaching exposes how the enemy works: if he cannot keep us from salvation, he will try to rob us of the joy and freedom that come with it. We face constant attempts to add human rules to divine grace, to substitute rituals for relationship, and to replace Christ's sufficiency with our own religious performance. The imagery of the yoke is particularly striking: we get to choose who is yoked with us in our daily walk. Will it be Christ through the Holy Spirit, or will we allow our flesh and the devil's schemes to steer us away from God's purpose? This message challenges us to examine what we're truly pursuing in our faith journey and to keep our eyes fixed on Christ alone.