OCT 12

Colossians 1:13-14
Memorise Colossians 1:13-14
“…delivered us from the power of darkness...”

Paul in Colossians 1:13-14 tells us that God “…hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” We see from verse 13 that darkness does have power; otherwise we would not need to be delivered from this power. From verse 14, we see that darkness has the power to tempt us to sin and to keep us in sin, and we are thus condemned to punishment for our sins though we do not realise it. There are many in this world that are under the power of darkness, believing that they have the right to do as they please and can get away with it, especially when no one else knows about it. The power of darkness is so great that it is only by the greater power of Jesus Christ that we are able to be freed from it, and to turn to Christ that our sins may be forgiven and we are redeemed. Indeed, God actually “translates” us into the kingdom of Christ, meaning we are transferred, like being moved from one country to another. Paul deliberately uses this term to indicate we are now free from the power of darkness, and instead of wishing to return to the darkness again, we should be living in light and a new life as citizens of heaven.

Such is the power of darkness, that even though we are free from the bondage of sin, we can still be attracted to it. There are teens that rebel against this notion that their life should be clean and free from scandal, thinking that such a holy life is either impossible, undesirable, or something they are not interested in. They are unwilling to accept that they are now ambassadors for Christ. They would rather choose to remain secret visitors to darkness, than to live a life to show that they are citizens of heaven and light. If you are one of these teens, do realise you are in a very dangerous position, in allowing yourself to toy with the power of darkness. As a Christian, you will ruin your testimony when what you did under the cover of darkness is exposed, and thereafter, live a life of regret as you realise that your sins have consequences even on earth. Just ask those Christians who have been caught for various offences and sentenced to prison; they all had assumed no one would ever find out about their secret sins.

Thought: What do I risk by living in darkness?
Prayer: May I be sure that my sins will find me out.