Colossians 1:11–14 NRSV
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
CONSIDER THIS
Things may not always be as black and white as we want them to be, but of this we can be sure: there is a kingdom of light and a dominion of darkness. Unfortunately, we are all born into the dominion of darkness. This is the only plausible explanation for the unbridled desecration of creation and the enormity of brokenness in the world.
The gospel is that we have a God who “has enabled [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Col. 1:12 NRSV). This is how God did it: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14 NRSV).
We must be rescued. Until we realize this we will remain lost.
I will never forget the time I had to be rescued. I was fifteen and deer hunting after school in an expansive tract of woods near our farm. At dusk, I spotted a buck, took aim, and felled the deer; or so I thought. He ran for what seemed like miles. After a solid hour of tracking, I found him, only to realize I was lost. And did I mention it was dark? I cried out in desperation for help. I fired my rifle down to the last shell. I could sense hoards of predators just out of sight, creeping towards me to devour my prey (and me!). No one came. They didn’t even know I was there. I was caught in the literal dominion of darkness. I could not see my hand in front of my face.
I needed to be rescued. I was, proverbially speaking, “deep in the heart of Texas” (only it was Arkansas). I would not find my way out of this fix, not even in the light of day. Time moved like a dead snail, when finally, I saw what looked like a flickering light in the distance. Then I heard his voice shouting my name, “John David! John David!” It was my father. He had come to rescue me. With tears in my eyes I ran toward that light and into the safety of his embrace.
That’s what rescue looks like; literally and figuratively. You can do the math from here. You already have.
I think I used to think I didn’t need to be rescued, that I wasn’t one of those kinds of people. Sure, I knew I was a sinner, but not that bad. I just needed a little Sunday school–esque straightening of the collar. Now I know better. The kind of sinner I thought I was is actually the worst kind of sinner because we think since we didn’t ride the Titanic to the bottom of the ocean we somehow don’t need as much grace as the ones who did. Now I recognize this as a lie from the pit of hell. The dominion of darkness is oh-so-deceptive. We all must be rescued, especially me. In fact, I will never become a real Christian until I know I am a real sinner.
Let us henceforth refer to Domino #1/13 as The 9-1-1 Domino.
THE PRAYER
Abba Father, we thank you for your Son, Jesus, who came into the deep, dark woods of this world, light in hand, to find us. We didn’t mean to get lost, but we did. Let me never forget the story of your rescuing me, lest I wander away again. And make me an agent of your rescue for others. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE QUESTIONS
- Do you know your rescue story?
- How can we help one another to live fully in the kingdom of light?
- Have you learned to spot the creeping shadows of the dominion of darkness? What does it look like in your life? How are you learning to run toward the light?
For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com
4 Responses
Yes, I do know my rescue story, even though I can’t describe the exact moment in time that it occurred. The Bible clearly states that all of us entered this world spiritually dead because of the fall. Flesh begets flesh. I was baptized as an infant, therefore I have no direct memory of that event, but I do believe in baptismal regeneration, because the Bible teaches it. The problem here is that one can stall out at that point or even walk away from baptismal grace if they’re not properly taught how to grow in grace. The Lord, through a series of events brought me back to a place where that could happen. That’s an example of how one can actually be lost and not even realize it. I believe that the best way to remain in the kingdom of light and help others to do the same is to be in an intentional community, through some sort of small group dynamic, the one-anotherings. When in true Christian fellowship, you have other brothers and sisters to help you remain in the light.
1) When I tell my rescue story, it moves me so deeply that I cry.
2) Just before I read this post, I posted on FB, “Since Jesus is the truth, dishonesty & deception distance us from Him & distort His voice within us. Seek truth & live in the light.” To live fully in the kingdom of light we need to continually, humbly, & courageously be “speaking the truth in love,” both to ourselves and to others.
3) Without the conviction (light) of God’s Spirit, darkness tries to convince me that I see. Deception from the dominion of darkness diminishes my vision and I falsely think I’m right when I’m wrong. Admitting my own sinfulness and my ongoing need to be rescued from darkness, I’m learning to run for and seek God’s inner light–the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.
The dark woods I was lost in was fear, confusion, and worthiness. The trees that blocked any light were drugs, alcohol, and lust. Camouflaging, all of that was a “good” person. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what road I was on. I met Jesus in my garage over 14 years ago. I don’t remember the day, but I’ll never forget the moment. He was the light that penetrated my darkness. He was calling my name. The trees were immediately chopped downed. I became a new creature.
Since then, I have served the Lord. He has called me to teach the gospel, focusing on spiritual warfare to the prisoners and the lost in rehab (though I’m not too fond of the word rehab or recovery, those send us back to where we were before, and that is still in the domain of darkness). I prefer free. FREE INDEED. Spiritual warfare is easily found in scripture. It starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation.
Sin is not about behavior modification. Sin is the inherited spiritual nature every human being is born with (in). It is within us. Humanity dubbs it down by calling it “human nature.” Because of the fall of man, the curse we inherited is the character of Satan. Toddlers lie before they know it’s lying. Who is the father of lies? Correct. Rebellion is deep in us. Who is the father of rebellion? Correct. Disobedience is evident. Who is…
There isn’t a class taught that teaches a one-year-old to slap their parent when they’re angry.
Satan is our spiritual Father until we are born again. Being born again, we become a child of God. And a warrior for the Great Commission. The war is over, victory is declared, but the battle continues. We must never forget Ephesian 6:12. Our enemy is not people. They are lost, oblivious (like us) to the evil director behind the scene that entices them to kill, steal and destroy. We are called to be the flashlight that shows them the eternal light—the Son. For when the Son set you free, you FREE INDEED.
he dark woods I was lost in was fear, confusion, and worthiness. The trees that blocked any light were drugs, alcohol, and lust. Camouflaging, all of that was a “good” person. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what road I was on. I met Jesus in my garage over 14 years ago. I don’t remember the day, but I’ll never forget the moment. He was the light that penetrated my darkness. He was calling my name. The trees were immediately chopped downed. I became a new creature.
Since then, I have served the Lord. He has called me to teach the gospel, focusing on spiritual warfare to the prisoners and the lost in rehab (though I’m not too fond of the word rehab or recovery, those send us back to where we were before, and that is still in the domain of darkness). I prefer free. FREE INDEED. Spiritual warfare is easily found in scripture. It starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation.
Sin is not about behavior modification. Sin is the inherited spiritual nature every human being is born with (in). It is within us. Humanity dubbs it down by calling it “human nature.” Because of the fall of man, the curse we inherited is the character of Satan. Toddlers lie before they know it’s lying. Who is the father of lies? Correct. Rebellion is deep in us. Who is the father of rebellion? Correct. Disobedience is evident. Who is…
There isn’t a class taught that teaches a one-year-old to slap their parent when they’re angry.
Satan is our spiritual Father until we are born again. Being born again, we become a child of God. And a warrior for the Great Commission. The war is over, victory is declared, but the battle continues. We must never forget Ephesian 6:12. Our enemy is not people. They are lost, oblivious (like us) to the evil director behind the scene that entices them to kill, steal and destroy. We are called to be the flashlight that shows them the eternal light—the Son. For when the Son set you free, you FREE INDEED.