As believers, we have so much to be thankful for that it’s sometimes easy to take these gifts for granted. It’s human nature for appreciation to wane over time as blessings become normality. This is why it is so important for us to take some time each day to consider just how much we have to be thankful for.
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:11-14 ESV
These verses close out a beautiful passage where Paul told the Colossians that he prayed for them to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, instructed them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord Jesus, to bear good fruit, and to endure suffering for Christ with patience.
The transition between verses 11 and 12 can be also rendered with a comma instead of a semicolon, as, “…for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father,”. I tend to prefer this, because it points to being thankful to the Father for something greater than our trials. We can and should be thankful for trials as they help grow our faith (cf: James 1:2-4), but Paul may have been talking about being joyful and thankful for something bigger: being “qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Once again, we get a glimpse into how little we had to do with our salvation. God the Father qualified us. In the Greek this is hikanooÌ„, and means to make sufficient, to render fit. This happened long before we were born, as we learned in Ephesians 1:4, and isn’t something we can do ourselves. The Father orchestrated our salvation, and Christ completed and perfects it (cf: Galatians 4:4-7, Hebrews 12:2). Truly an amazing gift worthy of being thankful for every waking moment. But there’s even more!
The Father “has delivered us from the domain [power] of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” Not only have we been qualified by grace to share in this great inheritance, but God has moved us out from under the power and authority of darkness (evil) into the eternal kingdom of Christ.
What’s so beautiful about this is it is all past tense. As believers, God has already delivered and transferred us to Christ’s possession. Our souls are already His and united with Him through the Holy Spirit. Paul told the Thessalonians, “for you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness,” (1 Thes 5:5). As this truth soaks in, it should result in a deep sense of humble gratitude to our great and awesome Father God!
And we must also praise and thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because through Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. God’s plan of salvation involved offering up His one and only begotten Son (cf: John 3:16), perfect, holy, sinless, and obedient, as a living and eternal sacrifice for our sins (cf: Heb. 9:14-15). Formerly slaves of sin, we have now been redeemed – which is defined as being released by payment of ransom. The ransom for our sinful souls was far greater than we could possibly pay, akin to being asked to come up with trillions of dollars to be released from jail. Absolutely impossible! But to His praise and glory, Christ came up with the payment and satisfied our debt once and for all (Rom. 6:10, Heb. 9:12).
So whatever is happening today, take some time to give thanks with joy to God the Father and our Lord Jesus. In all situations and in all seasons, we have so much to be thankful for, as we consider that we are already citizens of Christ’s kingdom, and that He paid a very expensive price to purchase and free us from the dark dungeon of sin. Let your heart be light and thankful as you ponder the magnificent and incomprehensible gift the Father and Son have given you in salvation.
Last time we saw how Paul continuously prayed that the Colossians would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Col. 1:9), and today we continue looking at the apostle’s encouraging passage...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
It’s been a little while since we last studied Colossians together, so before picking up let’s do a quick recap of some of the things we learned in the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. In verse 1 we saw...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
“…just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” Colossians 1:7-8 ESV We last saw the importance of bearing...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Colossians 1:3-5a ESV...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… Colossians 1:3 Barely into the opening of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we find once again that Scripture is a treasure chest of truths and insights into the heavenly domain.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Colossians 1:1-2 ESV) Opening Paul’s epistle to the...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
As we begin our new expository devotional series in the epistle of Colossians, it’s good practice to spend a few minutes learning about the audience, culture, history and setting of the church, and the author’s purpose in writing the...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
We’ve come to the end of a verse-by-verse study through the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which he closed with a fittingly encouraging valediction, yet still embedded with practical truths for us to consider. Greet every...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
