May 24 2021
Today, Monday May 24
Completing What Christ Suffered For Colossians 1:24-25 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Paul said that he rejoiced in suffering for Christ’s sake. For most of us that is a complete mystery. If there is anything that we don’t want or would chose to do, I’m sure it would suffering. Experiencing physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual distress or pain in any form. We usually do everything we can to avoid it.
But Paul said he actually rejoiced in it. Remember what Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)
When we chose to give up the right to ourselves, our safety, our security, our comfort and obey the command of Jesus to love God and others for the sake of the Gospel we are actually fulfilling and completing what Jesus suffered and was afflicted for. Paul in Ephesians 5 tells us that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.
The book of Colossians teaches us and helps us to yield and surrender our lives totally over to Jesus Christ. When we truly make Him our life, when we are complete in Him, when we have our affections set on things above and not on the earth, and Jesus is living in us, we too can rejoice in whatever we are going through, because we are experiencing His presence, His grace, His strength and His power in our lives!
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We can become “broken bread and poured out wine” as we are being crushed by afflictions so that God can use us to bless and nourish others around us. We are so identified with Jesus that it is His disposition that is living and reigning in our lives!
Lord, please teach us what this means today!
God bless!