Light Always Wins
These are busy, busy days behind the scenes at Carol McLeod Ministries.
We are preparing for our 20th Annual Women’s Conference in Buffalo, NY, which is aptly named, “Overflowing!”
We are certainly overflowing with deep gratitude for all that the Lord has done over the past 20 years, and we are simply undone by His goodness and strength.
Everyone is working long hours … praying extra prayers … and leaning into the Lord for strength and for creativity.
How we love what we do!
There is absolutely nothing as fulfilling … as challenging … or as wonderful … as giving our lives and our talents to the unshakable Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
So … for us … during these months of March and April … it is “all hands on deck” and “all hearts surrendered to the call of Jesus Christ.”
If you would like to register for this incredible, joyful ,and miraculous event, here is the link. We would love to have you join us either in person or virtually!
Not only is my staff preparing with great joy and enthusiasm for the 20th Annual Conference, but we are also preparing to launch my 17th book which is also titled “Overflowing: Living Abundantly in a Broken Culture.”
Launching a book is no small feat in this day and age … but we love sharing my new literary “baby” with the world!
So … this week … as you are praying for us and thinking about all the excitement behind the scenes … I thought I would share with you just a small nugget from this new book scheduled to be released in June.
If it whets your appetite in anyway at all … perhaps you would consider pre-ordering a copy on Amazon or on our website.
So … put your feet up … fix a cup of tea or coffee … and enjoy this gift … from my overflowing heart to yours.
Overflowing: Living Abundantly in a Broken Culture
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)
We have so much for which to show our gratitude to God, and His eternal rescue of us is chief among the blessings. God sent Jesus, His only Son, on a rescue mission. You were the intended target of this mission. Jesus Christ broke the evil power of Satan, snatched us out of the domain of darkness, and deposited us eternally in the kingdom of light.
The Greek word for “rescue” Paul uses in this passage is harpadzo, an extremely strong and aggressive word that describes a desperate and forceful action. Harpadzo includes passion, fervency, urgency, and action in its meaning. One Greek expositor asserts that harpadzo carries this idea, “He grabbed us by the back of our necks and snatched us out of danger just in the nick of time.”
I have a dear high school friend who served in the military for nearly thirty-five years. He loves America and was proud to serve our nation across many continents and during different conflicts. At our recent high school class reunion, he told me whenever someone thanks him for his service, he simply replies by saying, “You were worth it.”
You were worth rescuing, my friend. You were worth it. In the heart of God the Father, you were worth it. In the eyes of Jesus, the Son, you were worth it.
During my formative years, I dealt with fear nearly every day of my life. Around the neighborhood of my small town, I was known as a “scaredy cat.” I was afraid of spiders, mean people, and the neighbor’s dog. I was afraid of walking alone, the mice in our barn, and riding my sister’s horse. I was terrified of spending the night at a friend’s house, riding my bike on a friendly country road, and what not eating vegetables might do to me. But most significantly of all, I was afraid of the dark.
I could not fall asleep unless someone was in the room with me. My parents left a small light on in every room of the house, so if I got up to go to the bathroom, I wouldn’t be frightened. The dark seemed evil and foreboding; I just knew that I, as a small child, was no match for the dark.
As an adult woman, I still don’t much care for the dark but no longer am I intimidated by it. The reason for my change of heart is an obvious one: Jesus rescued me from darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of light. Now, I live and move and have my being in Him and in all that He is.
I have learned on my journey through life when light and darkness battle against each other, light always wins. Always. Darkness is unable to prevail against one small match, a tiny candle, or even a wee lamp. You and I now live in that victorious kingdom of perpetual and brilliant light!
There are some Bible words that might be considered “Christianese,” archaic, or even coldly religious. The word “redeemed” might fit under that austere and antiquated category unless, of course, you are willing to take the time to understand its meaning and appreciate its wealth.
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)
Redemption has a rich meaning retrieved from the earliest pages of the Old Testament.
Israel had been held hostage in Egypt for more than four hundred years and their lot was to serve as slaves in this foreign nation. God sent ten plagues upon this heathen nation to convince the leadership to let His people go. The final scourge that visited Egypt was the death of all their firstborn sons. While every firstborn son in every Egyptian family died, the children of the Isra- elites were rescued because the Israelites had placed the blood of a lamb upon their doorframes. This is when the story of redemption begins in Scripture.
Redemption means to “buy back” or “to save from captivity by paying a ransom.”
God chose to repurchase us by offering His Son as the sacrifice. The blood of Jesus is on the doorpost of your life; you have been marked as “saved” or “redeemed” by the One who knows you best and loves you the most.
Doesn’t that cause your heart to overflow with gratitude to the One who redeemed you, rescued you and delivered you from darkness?
His Name is Jesus and His heart is overflowing with love for you.”
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!
If you long to live a life overflowing with hope, peace, and joy, perhaps what your life needs is an intentional center. We all have one―that nucleus upon which we obtain our energy and discern our purpose. Bible scholars through the ages have insisted that the book of Colossians is the most Christ-centered book in the entire Bible. If that is true, then we, as twenty-first-century believers, must choose to study this Jesus-centric epistle with enthusiasm and with intention. By the end of this deep dive into the sacred pages of Scripture, your life will shout to the world, “I am Christ-centered! He is my source, my joy, my all in all!”
Not only will we be celebrating our 20th conference in the Buffalo region, but we will also be taping Carol’s newest Bible Study, “Overflowing!” This conference will be a rich time of solid theology, practical application, and eternal truths. You will leave this conference empowered to live a life that is overflowing with the goodness and power of God!