OUR DAILY BREAD FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2025 DEVOTIONAL, ODB MESSAGE
Our Daily Bread Friday 24 January 2025 Devotional TOPIC: Christ Matters Most
BIBLE IN YEAR: Exodus 9-11; Matthew 15:21-39
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KEY VERSE: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. – Colossians 2:8
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Colossians 2:6-12
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,l and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,m which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forcesa of this worldn rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullnesso of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the headp over every power and authority.
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the fleshb s was put off when you were circumcised byc Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism,t in which you were also raised with himu through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
OUR DAILY BREAD 24TH JANUARY 2025 – ODB DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE:
My wife and I like cheesy, feel-good romantic movies. I could say it’s her thing. But I like ’em too. Their charm and appeal lies in their predictable path toward happily ever after. Recently, we watched one that offered some questionable romantic advice. Love is a feeling, it said. Then, Follow your heart. Finally, Your happiness matters most. Our emotions matter, of course. But self-focused emotionalism is a lousy foundation for a lasting marriage.
Mainstream culture dishes up many ideas that sound good initially but crumble upon closer inspection. And careful inspection is exactly what Paul has in mind in Colossians 2. There, he emphasizes that being “rooted and built up in [Christ], strengthened in the faith” (v. 7) enables us to identify our culture’s lies. The apostle calls such lies “hollow and deceptive philosophy,” built “on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (v. 8).
So the next time you watch a movie, ask yourself or those you’re with, “What does this movie suggest is wise? How does that compare to what Scripture says is true?” And remember that it’s Christ that matters most. Only in Him can we find true wisdom and wholeness (vv. 9-10).
READ TODAY’S INSIGHT
Paul wrote the book of Colossians to the church in Colossae, which was possibly founded by Epaphras (Colossians 1:6-7). Paul wrote this letter during his first Roman imprisonment to address false beliefs and warn of the danger of falling prey to “hollow and deceptive” teaching (2:8). He knew the best way not to be led astray was to be “rooted and built up in [Christ]” (v. 7) through a relationship with Him and familiarity with Scripture.
Elsewhere, the apostle warned of false teachers (themselves deceived by Satan) who deceived “naive people” through “smooth talk and flattery” (Romans 16:18) and “empty words” (Ephesians 5:6). He urged believers to battle deception by being “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” by putting on “the full armor of God, so that [we] can take [our] stand against the devil’s schemes” (6:10-11). With God, we can “stand firm” (v. 14).
REFLECT: How does popular culture shape how you see the world? How does your faith help you evaluate the values you encounter in entertainment?
PRAY: Father, our world is filled with stories that promise life but ultimately run counter to Your truth. Please give me a hunger for Your wisdom that I might walk in Your ways.
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet
