Eternal Reason To Say "Thanks" Series

Colossians 1:12-14

Thanks.

There’s that word again-thanks.

How often do you say ‘thanks’? When someone brings you a cup of coffee, do you say thanks? I think most of our times of giving thanks are related to immediate actions before us. But Paul offers us something we can be grateful for every day of our lives and even into eternity. God loves us so much He gave us His only begotten Son. Jesus died to give us life. We can marvel at this every day. The creator of this unimaginably vast, endlessly beautiful universe cared for us puny, dusty, bacteria covered, gassy, complaining, negative, petty, avaricious, ape-like animals roaming a small spectacular planet circling an average, glorious star. We are things less than nothing. Nothingness is incapable of snubbing and abusing and hurting and demeaning and gossiping and betraying. Nothingness cannot block the Light, creating darkness, or replace love with hate and kindness with indifference. We are, in many ways, and at many times, worse than nothing in our existence and behavior. And He loves us. How can this be?

I don’t know, but it’s something worth saying “thanks” for, and it is always true, every day, including those days when everything seems to be going wrong, including times when we see the worst of our humanity displayed around us.

The Purpose of Jesus’ Death: Light, Love & Forgiveness

The Father has “made us qualified”. If our qualification were based on our behavior or nature we would easily lose that qualification. But because our qualification to inherit with the saints is based on Jesus’ character and behavior we are safe. Our inheritance is secure. It can never be wrested from us by any machinations or schemes of the enemy of our souls because it is based on One who is unchangeable, incorruptible and indefatigable.

We might expect the contrast between the “power of darkness” to be the “kingdom of Light”, but that isn’t what Paul writes. In contrast to the power of darkness is the Kingdom of the Son of His love. You want to rid the world of darkness? Embrace the Son of God’s love. Love is the light that illumines the world and reveals evil. When darkness and evil are met with grace and love-when we “rise to the heights of meeting physical force with soul force”, when we are hated and falsely accused and we respond with kindness and consistency, darkness is defeated, and falsehood must flee. Love also leads to forgiveness, because while the Accuser reveals and proclaims all faults and through lies expands on them, love covers a multitude of sins, and seeks to make peace and to defend the weak.

This is the kingdom of the Son of God-love, peace, joy, fellowship, kindness when facing pettiness, gentleness when facing violence, truth when facing falsehood, goodness when facing evil. The patriot of the Kingdom is the meek warrior-the one who brings unity where there was division and resolution where there was strife.

Ah! God is establishing this Kingdom among us. How will we behave today based on His work within us and through us?

Prayer for Today

Father of Light,

Thank you.

Thank you for looking at me as the apple of your eye-one worthy of Your love and acceptance. Thank you for giving us Your Son so He could give us to You. Thank you for Your sacrificial love for us. Thank you for changing us so we can change the world.

Thank you.