Colossians 1:11-14 PHILLIPS As you live this new life, we pray that you will be strengthened from God’s boundless resources, so that you will find yourselves able to pass through any experience and endure it with courage. You will even be able to thank God in the midst of pain and distress because you are privileged to share the lot of those who are living in the light. For we must never forget that he rescued us from the power of darkness and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light. For it is by his Son alone that we have been redeemed and have had our sins forgiven.
“He has not been anything like long enough with the Enemy to have any real humility yet. What he says, even on his knees, about his own sinfulness is all parrot talk. At bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favourable credit-balance in the Enemy’s ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church with these ‘smug’, commonplace neighbours at all. Keep him in that state of mind as long as you can.” (The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis; https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/). FYI – This book was written to give insight into demon strategy to disrupt the growth in Christ of a new believer. Therefore, the Enemy in this context is God.
Observation
Our culture has conditioned us to rate a person’s value by his/her accomplishment, status, possessions, appearance, physical prowess, performance – the visible fruit of our own efforts. This is only a problem when we begin to believe that any of these visible fruits make us more valuable in God’s sight. No matter what talent, ability, possessions, or other human accomplishment we brought with us when we entered into Christ, He got no bargain, no bonus, and owed us no credit for what we contributed to the cause. “For we must never forget that he rescued us from the power of darkness, and re-established us in the kingdom of his beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light. For it is by his Son alone that we have been redeemed and have had our sins forgiven.”
We paid no price to be born again – just as we contributed nothing to our physical birth except to show up at the finale. It is what we do with our lives that matters. We need to remember that we have been RESCUED from the power of darkness, an inescapable prison, by the only One Who could pay the price, and He values every soul irrespective of Godly giftings or visible fruit. Everything we are or do or can be is a gift from God that He wants us – in gratitude for our rescue – to choose to gift back and submit to Him so that He can make the best of us – our talents, abilities, skills and possessions – and fulfill His will and purpose to bring more souls into His Kingdom.
Impact on Me
So, I find the second half of today’s passage easier to do than the first half. Salvation was free; I like free and have always remained grateful for the gift only Jesus could provide. However, sanctification (“living this new life”) is much more challenging as it apparently has a cost to me that requires strength and courage and may require me to endure pain and distress, all the while thanking God for the opportunity to do so. “As you live this new life, we pray that you will be strengthened from God’s boundless resources, so that you will find yourselves able to pass through any experience and endure it with courage. You will even be able to thank God in the midst of pain and distress because you are privileged to share the lot of those who are living in the light.”
If I am truly grateful for the free gift, can I really refuse to trust and obey the Giver, regardless of what it might cost me, so that others might receive the free gift of salvation and begin to live this new life? Have I grasped that I am now part of God’s Kingdom and have a share of both the cost and benefit of “those living in the light”? Isn’t any cost to me just returning what has been supplied by Him and His resources? Can I really believe that I bring something to the table that is completely my own? What is my rescue worth to me? What price will I be willing to pay so others might be rescued?
I always come back to consider the price Jesus paid for me – that was equally paid for every soul, that was my only hope, that is a rescue for whosoever will come. When I consider these things, I strive to let the cost of my obedience be in God’s hands and to remember to be thankful that no matter where I find myself or the circumstances surrounding me, God is with me and has a plan to redeem, restore, and rescue. While I am not at the place where I say, “Thank you, God, for bringing on the pain and distress!”, I am getting better at asking Him what He would have me do and be in the middle of it. I hope that is a visible fruit of living the new life in Christ.
Prayer
I stand in awe of the path You walked and the price You paid to provide my redemption, my rescue. And then You offer salvation free to me for the taking. I pray that You remind me always that everything I have, am and do, I have because You have first given Your all on my behalf. Remind me that regardless of the circumstances You go with me and will provide all I need. I want to keep my perspective in line with Yours as I humbly and gratefully walk this Christian life. I ask this all in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 