Our scripture this morning is Colossians 1:9-14.
For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul writes to the Colossians from prison, offering prayer that they might continue to grow in the knowledge of God. That would be his prayer for us today as well, that through a connection to Jesus and our brothers and sisters we might know God’s love and mercy. God is always there, reaching out to us and waiting for us to respond.
Once we accept the forgiveness He offers, we become part of His plan, workers for the kingdom. We are freed from the grasp of sin by the grip of grace. God reclaims us from the brokenness of the world and sends us to help reach others.
Paul teaches that we are qualified to “share in the saints’ inheritance in the light”, a promise that we are not alone but part of His family. We are invited into “the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. God wants us back because He loves us, and He has a purpose for each of us.
Gracious God, we are blessed to be called Your children. Help us to be worthy of that name, sharing our faith and Your love with the world. Amen.
