The keys for my car have a clicker that is supposed to unlock and lock my doors. However, sometimes it does not work despite the fact that I have changed the battery. I have determined that I have a “bad connection” in my clicker.
Likewise, many of us have a “bad connection” in our relationship with Jesus which prevents us from experiencing the victory that he came to provide. In Colossians 2:13-19, Paul identifies four reasons that cause us to have “bad connections” in our relationship with Jesus. In Colossians 2:19 (New International Version), Paul says that “they have lost connection with the head.” What causes us to lose connection?
In Verses 13-15, Paul says the guilt of past sin can hold us back and cause us to lose connection with Jesus. Satan constantly reminds us of our sin and says that we are not forgiven. That guilt can be overpowering and can cause us to lose hope. Guilt can prevent us from approaching God with our needs and separates us from him. We need to remember that God has forgiven us and we need to forgive ourselves.
A second thing that can cause us to lose connection is being burdened by the concern of what others think of us. Paul addresses this in Verse 16 when he talks about all the regulations and guidelines that some religious leaders had placed on them. These rules can cause us to be more focused on what others think of us than what God thinks of us. Thus we lose connection with him. Pursuing recognition from the world can cause us to miss out from seeking God’s will for our lives.
In Verse 17, Paul identifies a third reason for losing connection. He says that taking our focus off of Christ can be dangerous. It is easy to lose sight of Christ and be focused on what we can see. Satan tries to distract us from following Jesus and his commands by placing attractive things in front of us.
One Sunday at church, I lost my son, Andrew, when he was only 3 years old. I was busy shoveling snow off the sidewalk and forgot about him until a friend found him crying and looking for me. We can easily do the same thing by focusing on the world and losing sight of Jesus. Taking our focus off Christ causes us to have a “bad connection.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV) says “fixing our eyes on Jesus” should be the focus of our lives.
In verse 18, the fourth thing that Paul says can cause us to lose connection is pride. Throughout the Bible, we are warned about the dangers of pride. Pride causes us to think too highly of ourselves and not realize our need of God. James 4:6 (NIV) says “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Do you have a “bad connection” with Jesus? If so, we may need to remove those things from our lives that are causing the problems.
Doug Plumlee is senior pastor at Ridgedale Baptist Church.