The Pastor's Perspective

      Have you ever tried to put together one of those "Some assembly required" and you got it all together but something was a bit off. It did not look like the picture on the box. After sometime going over the directions you realized you had missed a vital step in the process.       In the Christian life, we often focus on looking like a Christian. We try to change our habits, adjust our language, and show up at the right events. But there is a single characteristic that is absolutely vital; without it, everything else we do as believers is useless. That trait is Love .      In the first century, the church in Colossae was busy making changes. They had a list of "dos and don'ts" and were working hard to be acceptable to God.       However, because their motive was fear and obligation rather than love, the result was pride in those who succeeded and a sense of being devalued in those who struggled. The church was st...

    Have you ever made some changes in your life only to realize that you weren't really making any progress? Perhaps you spent hours studying for a upcoming test only to realize that it was an open book test. Perhaps you started to exercise more and yet make no progress because you failed to change your diet. There are times we can make a lot of changes but fail to see any real change.      This is exactly what was happening to the Christians in Colossae. They were making "amazing" changes—dressing differently, acting differently, and following strict rules about what to eat or drink .       The problem? These were changes God never demanded . They were acting out of obligation and fear to gain God’s favor, rather than out of a genuine relationship. It did not matter how many changes that they made, they were not getting any closer to God.       Paul’s message to them is a wake-up call for us: Christianity isn't a list o...

     Have you ever found yourself doing something simply because you felt you had to, rather than because you wanted to? Maybe you felt like you had to laugh at a joke that was not all that funny. Or perhaps you had to attend a party that you really didn't want to go to but you felt obligated to go to keep up appearances.       In relationships, we usually change for one of two reasons: love or fear . Think back to the infamous moment at the Oscars when Will Smith reacted to a joke about his wife. If you don't remember Chris Rock was doing a stand up bit and happened to say something in jest about Will Smith's wife. The crowd was laughing, Will Smith was laughing everyone was laughing except Will Smiths wife. What Chris Rock said was not really off color or all that bad, but when Will Smith saw that his wife was not pleased. Will Smith went up to Chris Rock and smacked him in his face.      People debated his motives—was it out of a f...