Submitted by Lara Cook
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. Colossians 1:12-14
The believer who has placed their
faith in Christ has done so in response to His sacrifice. That sacrifice was for a reason…an eternal
gift of life. Like greedy immature
children, we forget the effort and sacrifice of the gift itself. We take it and run, sometimes never looking
back until we are in dire need. When we
speak of “being saved” we often fail
to consider the full scope of what occurred to provide for our salvation and restoration
of fellowship with God. As a reminder,
we are going to highlight some key words from the passage above. I love putting them all together in one
sentence: I am qualified, rescued, transferred to His kingdom, and redeemed
because of what He did for me!
Qualified – There is
absolutely nothing that you or I can do to qualify ourselves for what the Holy
God of the universe has freely given
us. We do not have to try out, audition,
prove ourselves, or pass a test to get what He has given. Best of all, we can’t flunk out either.
Rescued - He brought me up
out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a
rock making my footsteps firm. Psalm 40:2 – One of my all-time
favorite verses. He loved me enough to
pull me out of the quick sand of sin and darkness, and not just one time
either. I was saved once and for all but
I still find myself knee deep in the miry clay from time to time and every
single time He pulls me out.
Transferred – Transfer means to move from one place to
another. That is what He did for us when
He rescued us. He moved us from Satan’s
domain into the kingdom of His Beloved Son, a place of grace, mercy and
forgiveness. We have been relocated to a
place where we belong, to His kingdom.
We are now subjects of His kingdom, His laws, and belong to His
community.
Redeemed – In the transfer, we were redeemed, released from
bondage and set free from the power of sin and darkness. Jesus paid the ransom and redeemed us forever
from our sin. Our debt was cancelled
and we have become handpicked heirs to His kingdom.
I don’t know about you, but that
makes me feel safe and secure. It wasn’t
just something that happened on a whim. It
was by His design, purposefully carried out.
Planned and executed by the God of the universe because He loves us and finds
us worthy, even from the pit of slimy, miry clay. He qualified me when I could never qualify
myself, a worthiness I could never attain on my own. I am grateful beyond measure for this
ultimate gift from Him, the King of Kings. I am qualified, rescued, transferred to His
kingdom, and redeemed because of what He did for me!
Scripture to Claim:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to
His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5