December 15, Day 349

Today's Reading

Paul's letter to the church at Colossae is full of deep encouragement and truth. It contains a passage that I found very difficult to comprehend until I took the time to memorize it. Since then, it is one of my most beloved in all the Bible. 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. (Colossians 1:13, 14 NLT) He rescued us from the darkness, even though we had loved the darkness better than the light. Then He transferred us to His kingdom, where we found freedom and forgiveness. I plan to dwell on that truth all day today!

Philemon is a wonderful little personal letter from Paul about a former runaway slave named Onesimus. Somehow God had orchestrated events so that Onesimus found Paul, then decided to follow Christ. He was radically transformed. The time came for them to deal with his status in breach of Roman law. Paul sent him back (slavery was an accepted part of their lives), telling Philemon that Onesimus his slave was now his brother in Christ. Paul was very respectful and loving while being quite straightforward in his request. It's a powerful picture of how Christ transforms people and how the Gospel can be worked out in various cultures.