Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our
WEEK 25
BEING DELIVERED FROM DARKNESS
TO LIGHT
COLOSSIANS 1:1-18
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in
the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued 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.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
DEAR FATHER, this is the great glory of the gospel:
that through Your beloved Son's work on the cross
You rescue us from the domain of darkness
and translate us into His kingdom of heavenly light, making us fit to share in the inheritance of the saints.
One of the most striking examples of that in Your Word
is the testimony of the apostle Paul, who became a powerful advocate of the faith
he once tried to destroy.1
All who believe can likewise testify
that You have ransomed us from the bondage of sin, given us new life, and fully equipped us for Your service—
even though like Saul of Tarsus, we were once blasphemers and disobedient. We honor Your name because of Your transforming power in our lives. You have put a new song in our mouths,
a song of perpetual praise to You.2
We thank You for the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit,
who transforms lives from the inside out. We rejoice in the assurance that our sins are forgiven. We are profoundly aware of our eternal indebtedness to Christ,
who paid an incomprehensible price to set us free. And we know that we are now free indeed3—
free from enslavement to the law, and blessedly liberated from bondage to sin. Enable us, we pray, to stand firm in that freedom. Safeguard our hearts and seal our deliverance,
so that we shall never again be subject to any yoke4
other than the easy yoke and light burden of Christ.5
We know that apart from Your gracious empowerment,
all our attempts at godly love and faithful service
are utterly futile. Apart from the Holy Spirit's enablement,
we neither could nor would honor Jesus as Lord.6
Apart from the intercessory work of Christ,
we know that we would falter. Apart from the grace You give us to persevere,
we would surely fall away. And apart from the purifying power of Your Word,
we could never be fit for heaven.7
We confess to our deep shame
that our hearts are prone to coldness. Our love for You is too shallow and too fickle
to honor You in a worthy manner. Our submission to Christ too often proves fragile and erratic. Our walk is faltering and inconsistent. We are too susceptible
to the lure of the world, the lusts of our own flesh, and the wiles of the devil.
Grant us more grace
to be diligent in our duties, faithful in our devotion to Christ, industrious in the work of the gospel, clear in our testimony to the world, steadfast in our defense of the truth, and untiring in our service to You. May all our conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.8
May every aspect of our lives bring honor to our Savior,
our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
1. Galatians 1:13-24 2. Psalm 40:3 3. John 8:36 4. Galatians 5:1 5. Matthew 11:30 6. 1 Corinthians 12:3 7. John 15:3; Hebrews 12:14 8. Philippians 1:27