Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I want you to use your imagination and picture with me: A hostage situation. The hostage never chose to be there. They are with an adversary or a foe that is much stronger than them. They're trapped and there's no way out.
I want you to know that hostage was you, and that was me. And today's Verse of the Day is our rescue plan. It makes my heart overwhelmed with joy when I think about precisely what He did for us.
It's Colossians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. It says, "For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins."
What Makes Something a Rescue?
I think about a rescue situation, or an individual who is in need of being rescued. Maybe that individual is you. I don't know what you face today, but maybe you face a dark situation. Maybe you face a difficult situation and you know you need help getting out. You find yourself in this place and you don't know how you're going to get out.
Listen: if you could just walk away, or if anyone could just walk away, that wouldn't be a rescue, would it? That's just leaving. What makes something a rescue? Someone has to come in and physically fight on your behalf. Someone has to literally make sacrifices in order to bring you out, so that you can be made whole, so that you can be set free.
You Have Been Rescued
That's precisely the reminder that Paul was giving to the Colossians church. He was letting them know: you're not bound to that captivity. Those things that you were suffering with—the worldly things before—now you have been rescued.
I want you to look at the second part of this Scripture, because this is where it really hits my heart. It's one thing to be rescued, but God didn't just rescue you just to leave you hanging out to dry. He didn't just leave you out there to figure it out and fend for yourself.
Rescued AND Transferred
It says: rescued and transferred into His kingdom—the kingdom of His dear Son. That is literally worth rejoicing over. We got a new kingdom now. We're not confined to that old place of pain. We got a new King—a good King, one who gave everything, including His life, for us, so that we don't have to fear the cages and the stages and all of those difficult things we face in this life.
When Fear and Doubt Arise
When you sit there, and sometimes you might find yourself overwhelmed by fear and doubt in the chaos of it all, knowing that there's a real enemy that wants to twist lies and thoughts in your mind that cause you to question God's good plan for you—here's a question that many of my brothers and sisters often ask: Am I enough? Am I really good enough? Why would God love somebody like me?
You Belong to Him
Guess what? You're His child. He loves you because you belong to Him. You matter so much to God the Father that He would send His Son to pay the ultimate sacrifice on your behalf so that you can be rescued.
The Context of Paul's Prayer
The context of this verse comes as Paul was literally at the climax of a prayer. He was so grateful for this salvation. He was reminding the church at Colossians: be grateful that you have been rescued and transferred into a new kingdom.
My Challenge to You
Here’s my challenge to you: when you start to question your purpose, when you start to question your path, when you start to question precisely what God has for you in your future, when you start to question if you're enough, if you're good enough to be connected to Christ, when you ask, why would He love a sinner like me?
Remember this: because you belong to Him. You've been bought with a price. You have been rescued. You're a part of a new kingdom now.
Live Like Someone Set Free
Prisoners who have been set free don't live like prisoners anymore. Now you get to live with faith and hope and trust in the new beginnings and the new promise that He's made for you.
