be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God Colossians 1:23-25
What depth of humility do we see here by Paul and what willingness to surrender to whatever suffering, tribulation, and trials necessary for the spreading of the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth! Paul rejoiced that God would have chosen him to be a minister of the gospel. He rejoiced despite his knowing that this mission required suffering. Paul was always in awe of the truth that he had been chosen by God to teach the gospel and for that reason, remained always with rejoicing even during great trials and tribulations. He considered it an honor to be a follower of Jesus even if that meant he had to suffer. After all, Paul realized his own suffering would never compare to the suffering that Christ had endured. Indeed, part of the mystery of salvation was that Christ through the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and by such, suffers in our suffering as well.
Another truth we might want to consider here is that Paul was a Jewish scholar. Now he was the one chosen to teach the gospel of Christ to the gentiles. Paul had been a “Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee” Phil 3:5. As such he had shunned the gentiles his whole life considering them “dirty”. Now, after his coming to know Christ as his Lord and Savior; Paul was the apostle chosen to lead the crusade of preaching the gospel message to the gentiles. Continue reading “How Can Joy Be Found in A Ministry Of Suffering?”
having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; Colossians 1:20-23
The Gospel–the good news is this; Jesus Christ took upon Himself the full wrath and punishment for our sin. He made an unbreakable Peace Accord with God for all who accept His Sacrifice as atonement for their sin. Through His death and resurrection; He has cloaked us with His righteousness, giving us eternal life in His presence as Beloved Children of God. He presents us to the Father as holy, blameless, and above reproach.
I want to pause here for one moment to consider what it is to be above reproach. The definition is: such that no criticism can be made; perfect, faultless, flawless, immaculate, unblemished, unsullied, and untarnished. Stop and think about how remarkable that is. We who were alienated from God because of our wicked works of our mind are counted now as perfect, faultless, flawless without even a blemish! We whose minds still wander and stray from the truth are presented to God as though already perfect. What an amazing gift that is! Continue reading “How to Be Perfectly Faultless in Life”
He (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. Colossians 1:17-19
Have you ever stopped to consider the cost of our salvation to Jesus Christ? What was the price that He paid? Unless you begin to understand the cost; how can you really appreciate the gift? The foreknowledge from before creation could not erase the utter agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane as He knew the time was imminent. As we just read last Friday in the verses before, Christ is God–the perfect echoing image of the Father. He was the creator of the universe. He then in the fullness of time, came to earth to face every temptation with its fullest intensity as a man; yet, with steady determination to obedience, He had lived the entirety of His life in perfect righteousness. Now He had come the time that He should be tried by evil men, rejected and hung on the cross. The physical agony was almost more than bearable. The emotional agony of rejection by the very ones He came to save was unthinkable. Still, none of that compared to the most agonizing fact of all. For a moment in time, He would have to die spiritually and be sudden separated from God the Father and the Holy Spirit. To become the firstborn from the dead; He had to die-not just physically, but also He had to taste spiritual death. For Christ, that was the most painful thought of all. His agonizing cry sounded throughout the heavens and the earth,
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Mark 15:33-34
Jesus Christ, the Son; who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (the sovereign, pre-eminent originator) of every creature (honored above all else): For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist (are held together in His hands) Colossians 1:15-17
In our finite human minds, it is hard to conceive the full providence of God’s will; to grasp the truth of His Sovereignty. We may look at the corridors of history and wonder how could it have existed with so much evil and tyranny. We see nations that rise and fall with great armies. Suffering exists all around us. Division and strife exists within every aspect of our world. We shutter at the very thought of the news which blares into our spirit with such sounds of fear, anguish, despair, and turmoil.
Yet, all things were created by Jesus Christ and for Him. The angels were created by Him as was the earth, the heavens. His providential hand has been the hand which has held it all together from the very beginning and will until the end of this era and into eternity.
Jonathan Edwards so beautifully wrote:
Christ has in all things the pre-eminence. For he is the great Redeemer; and therefore the work of redemption being the sum of God’s works of providence, shows the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, as being above all, and through all, and in all. …All other kingdoms fall, but his kingdom is the last, and never gives place to any other.
We see, that whatever changes there are, and however highly Christ’s enemies exalt themselves, yet he reigns in uncontrolled power and immense glory: in the end, his people are all perfectly saved and made happy, and all his enemies become his footstool. And thus God gives the world to his Son for his inheritance.
The consideration of what has been said, may greatly serve to show us the consistency, order, and beauty, of God’s works of providence. If we behold events in any other view, all will look like confusion, like the tossing of waves; things will look as though one confused revolution came to pass after another, merely by blind chance, without any regular or certain end. But if we consider the events of providence in the light in which they have been set before us, and in which the Scriptures set them before us, they appear an orderly series of events, all wisely directed in excellent harmony and consistence, tending all to one end. The wheels of providence are not turned round by blind chance, but are full of eyes round about, (as Ezekiel represents them,) and are guided by the Spirit of God: where the Spirit goes, they go. All God’s works of providence, through all ages, meet at last, as so many lines meeting in one centre. ((Improvement of the Whole, Part X) from the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 1
So, some would foolishly ask; “Then, did God create evil.” A thousand times no. God is perfect righteousness, perfect light. But just as darkness is the absence of light; so, evil is the absence of God. How can I as a God’s creature even know joy, love, or see the magnificence of God’s Glorious Grace; were I not to know the absence of such? Adam and Eve walked in the garden of Eden with God which by all scripture we know to have been the visible image of God (Jesus Christ). As an act of God’s Grace to allow them to demonstrate their pleasure in Him, to fully experience love toward Him and to know the joy of that love; He gave them one command. Not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Without that knowledge, they could live forever in His presence as they were innocent to the knowledge of a world without Him. Yet, as we know; without that knowledge, they really did not appreciate what they had, nor did they realize the fullness of joy that was theirs. If they had, they could not have sinned.
Before the earth was created and before Adam sinned; the plan for redemption by and through the suffering, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ already existed. Before the world was born, God saw me, loved me and chose to endure all the ages that I might be saved. Sin, evil and the blatant rejection of His plan of salvation by so many causes great sorrow to God. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. All through the ages, God has patiently pleaded with the people of earth to turn to Him and chose His righteousness. He holds together the world; that, one more might find their joy, their fulfillment and their life in Him.
It begins by accepting by faith that God IS and that He has provided the only means of salvation through His Son.
[tweetthis]God IS Father, Son and Holy Spirit-Three in one (Body Soul and Spirit)[/tweetthis]
God IS Sovereign and all this will one day lead to the Sovereign Reign of Jesus Christ over His Eternal Kingdom
The questions are:
[tweetthis]Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life?[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”In God we have our greatest treasure and nothing else on this earth matters as much as He.” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]Do you trust God with all of your life; no matter what comes?[/tweetthis]
[tweetthis]Are you willing to lay down everything else to follow Him?[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”Do you accept everything in your life as part of God’s plan for Your Good?” username=”effiedarlene”]
I would love to here about your journey; please scroll down to comment below
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:Who 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: Colossians 1:12-14
There is only one hope of salvation: redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ wherein our sins are forgiven. For each of us who know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord; our hearts should be always overflowing with thankfulness and joy. That joy, that gratitude can be reflected in our desire to please Him by living a life reflecting my love, my trust, and my faith in His Sovereign will in my life. It should also reflect a love of God’s law and commandments. His law is not a burden upon the Christian, it is a guiding light to help us as we draw nearer to Him; wherein lies our joy, our hope and our sustaining love.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3
True prosperity is a life of peaceful contentment with God, filled with a heart that overflows God’s love to those around us. All too often, we think of prosperity as earthly riches; yet, they are nothing to compare to the spiritual and emotional riches of a life anchored in the Grace and Mercy of God’s Salvation.
As children of the Light, we must be about the work of spreading the gospel by planting the seeds of truth wherever we go. We cannot be swayed by “public opinion” nor by “political correctness”. That was the danger facing the early church in Colossae. Living in a multicultural society, as an act of love they were trying to be tolerant of other philosophies and ideologies. We are to demonstrate kindness, gentleness, and love; but we must at the same time our truest act of love is to proclaim the truth of the gospel. We need to live our lives in a manner that demonstrates the hope, the joy, and the love found in Christ. Continue reading “How to Lovingly Stand for Truth When Society Says No”
