Saints in Light. Colossians 1:12. When we pray, starting with giving thanks is a good idea before making requests. To specify reasons for thanksgiving helps us focus on God Himself rather than on ourselves and what we think is important. “Counting our blessings” and naming them to our gracious Father reminds us of everything God has done for us and the importance of praying that God's will be done.
In these three verses, Paul first gives thanks to the Father, then to the Father and the Son, and finally to the Son alone. Christians who give thanks serve as positive witnesses to their faith in God. Praise, offered every time we pray, aligns our minds and attitudes in the right direction. The Father has qualified us by His grace and His satisfaction with the Son, whom He loves, so we can share in the present and future inheritance He gives to all His saints. The saints in light are those in heaven with the Lord and those on earth who shine as lights, even though the dominion of darkness surrounds us. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
The source is not within man nor of man to produce a moral light of holiness and love. Our Father God has the power to give us what we lack or cannot obtain from anyone else. He moved heaven and earth when Jesus died to provide salvation from sin and its consequences so we could share in the inheritance He offers and the blessings it brings. The Father has made it possible for us to bear the name Christian (Christ’s one), His name with honor.
Truth is found in God's Word and is part of the inheritance of the saints in light. It serves as a lamp to our feet and a guide on our path through life. It shows us where we are going and where we once were. This inheritance in light is not a "flash in the pan," which is a brief, bright light that quickly disappears. Instead, it comes from the steady glow of God's Word, which enlightens the mind and soul of a believer who can then show others the way to God by living in the light.
Love has its own light and distinctive qualities that people find hard to resist. It does not require an answer, nor is it very particular about who will be blessed by its glow. It is God-like in its nature and can be reflected in humans when we consider the inheritance we have. It is not beyond anyone's reach, for each person can love others, reflecting our love from His. Light is like a city set on a hill. A "kingdom of light" is what we are part of, even though darkness surrounds us. A small light makes the darkness less overwhelming. All over the world, the saints in the light let their light "so shine before men." The "kingdom of darkness" fades out of sight; the powers of darkness against God cannot extinguish His holy light and the light His family reflects.