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.
Whom is God asking you to minister to? What suffering are you facing today? Do you see Gospel of Jesus Christ as your greatest treasure? Those are the questions each of us who proclaim to be Christians need to be asking ourselves every day. For you see, if I realize the treasure of God’s merciful grace toward me; then, I am going to be willing to suffer if need be to spread the truth of the gospel to those who are lost. No matter how difficult that might be, the love of Christ indwelling me commands that I do so.
During my lifetime, I have endured abuse, illness, surgeries, and financial disasters. There were times when giving to the ministry has been very difficult; physically, financially and emotionally. Yet, as I look back I realize how truly blessed I have been. Every step of this journey has been God’s Amazing Grace; reaching down and even transforming my failures into good for the kingdom of God. Only He can take these faltering steps and transform them into His Glory. Every step of the way, He has drawn my heart closer to Him so that I might see Him more clearly. There is so much that I still do not fully understand of His Glory and the mysteries of His Grace; yet, I humbly bow before His throne in awe, honored that He would choose to use me to teach His word. My prayer is that when my words stutter that He reveal the truth to each reader through His might. He is the only one who can open the eyes of the spiritually blind and cause the deaf to hear the truth of the gospel message.
My prayer is that God show you His truth. I pray that He fill your lonely heart with His love until it overflows to all around you. May He bless you with His peace and joy no matter what trials you are facing. My desire for you is that He give you the knowledge to understand how even the suffering is a part of His plan of love, drawing you ever closer to His side. He will show you how to display the gospel message to those whom you would have formerly shunned. Let Him be your shining light in you and through you. I can say unequivocally He is my greatest joy and my greatest treasure.
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©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017
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