Colossians 1:13 | Rescued

Colossians 1:13 NIV says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”

And what is this kingdom of the Son but the kingdom of light? Jesus has saved us from our hopelessness and gloom and brought us joy, peace, and gladness. I know that, at times, it is hard to really grasp what this means. The words of this verse are absolutely radical, yet we might just read them and move on without being changed.

With a highly religious culture, we can forget that at one time in history, this hope did not exist. Can you imagine for a moment what it would be like to be alive before the coming of the Messiah? Where would you put your hope? Where would you find your joy and freedom? We are truly blessed in the Son.

We must be careful in our modern church culture not to forget how precious and overwhelmingly good the gift of God’s grace is. I mean, without him, we are utterly hopeless. God gives us the power to overcome fear, sin, anger, lust, condemnation, offense, trials, and more. This power comes because he has rescued us from a place of hopelessness.

Another translation says that we have been transferred to the kingdom of light. I love that language because it depicts the movement in the spirit that takes place when God comes into our lives, and we receive him fully.

I know that the enemy loves to downplay this reality. He will work overtime to ensure that you and I live dull lives of religiosity. We can overlook and neglect the promises of God if we get caught up in a lie from the enemy. He may say that we don’t deserve such goodness. He may challenge the authenticity of our faith. He may tempt us with old ways of living. You fill in the blank.

This morning we have a chance to pray a simple prayer that can realign our hearts: “I’ve been rescued. I’ve been transferred.”

Declaring this truth can stir up the lies that stand in the way of our freedom. If you feel stuck today or are struggling to live in freedom, I would encourage you to lean into this promise today. With an open heart, ask God to help you get back into the truth. Ask him to encounter you with his presence.

I thank God today that he has rescued us from darkness.

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