I'm A Qualifier

I have recently been reading through some of Paul's letters in the New Testament--you know, the "General Electric Power Company"--Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.  Well, throughout this process various passages have caught my attention that have never stood out to me before.  Colossians 1:12-14 was no exception.  The passage says, "...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  

The word "qualified" really grabbed my attention. I thought it was interesting that Paul used this word in particular.  I recently ran in the Chicago Half Marathon, and perhaps sports analogies were on the brain, but I thought immediately about what it means to "qualify" for something.   There are lots of things we have to qualify for in life, in order to "get ahead."  You must "qualify" for the Boston Marathon.  You muse have the work experience necessary to "qualify" for a promotion.  Your ACT scores must "qualify" you for college admission.  In all of these examples, you must meet a certain standard in order to be able to attain the positive outcome.  There are certain qualifications that must be met.  

In this passage, Paul says that we have been "qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."  What standards would be necessary for such an inheritance?  How would we go about qualifying to be a part of this kingdom?  The word "light" seems to give us a big clue. It would seem like I need to be good, pure, and clean.  "Light" isn't rusty, rotting, or dirty.  It isn't broken down or corrupt.  It's shiny, bright and new.  So, that leads me to believe that I am immediately disqualified.  My abilities to produce things of light seem quite low.  If left to my own devices, I will not be able to meet these standards.  

It's interesting that Paul doesn't describe God as just overlooking our abilities to meet the qualifications.  He doesn't say that God ignores our faults and weaknesses.  He isn't like the coach who turned a blind eye while his player used performance enhancing drugs.  He isn't like the supervisor that promoted an employee simply based on politics.  Nor is he like the professor who let his student cheat during an exam.    Instead, he gives us what we need to meet the qualifications.  

How does that work?  Don't I need to be perfect to meet the qualifications? Well, yes.  You do.  

The Greek word for "qualified" means to "make sufficient, to render fit." And God has done just that.  He  offered up the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might qualify.  We have now been imputed with His righteousness, so that our shortcomings, faults and failures no longer keep us from fulfilling the standard.  We have been made "fit" for the kingdom.  

Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!  So, the next time that you feel that you just don't "qualify" and are tempted to be discouraged, remember this truth.  God has not just turned a blind eye to your shortcomings, but instead He has "qualified" you for an inheritance in the kingdom of light! He has given us all we need to meet the standards for the most amazing qualification we could ever hope for.