The Hope of Glory

Dear friend in Christ,

As we settle in together this morning—perhaps with a warm cup in hand and our Bibles open—let’s linger over these words from Paul, written from the quiet of a prison cell yet full of surprising joy. He has just spoken of the great reconciliation Christ has accomplished. Now he turns to the cost and the privilege of carrying that good news forward.

Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

There is a tender honesty here. Paul does not pretend that following Jesus costs nothing. He rejoices in what he is suffering for the Colossians. The phrase that often catches us is “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions.” He is not suggesting that the atoning work of the cross was incomplete or that anything must still be added to the sacrifice that reconciles us to God. That work is finished. What remains are the afflictions that still belong to the people of Christ as they walk the path their Head walked. There is a measure of suffering appointed for the sake of the church’s growth and witness, and Paul is glad to take up his share of it. His pains are not wasted; they are spent for the body. In the strange and beautiful economy of the gospel, hardship endured in love becomes one of the ways the life of Jesus is carried to others.

From that place of costly joy he describes his calling: “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness.” He is a steward, not an inventor. The message is not his to edit or soften; it is a trust given by God. And that message is nothing less than the word of God in its fullness—the complete gospel of Christ. He is to unfold it so that the Colossians, and we with them, may see its depth and its reach.

What he unfolds is a mystery “that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.” For centuries the full scope of God’s plan had remained veiled. Prophets spoke in partial light; the nations stood largely outside the covenants of promise. Now the veil is drawn back. God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Here is the heart of the matter. The mystery is not a secret code or a private spiritual technique. It is a Person. Christ—once hidden, now revealed—has taken up residence among the Gentiles, and in each believer. The One who created all things and reconciled all things by the blood of His cross now dwells in ordinary people who were once far off. That indwelling is not a temporary boost; it is the hope of glory. The same Christ who is in us now is the guarantee and the substance of the glory that is coming. What we will one day see face to face we already possess, in measure, by His presence within us.

Paul’s suffering, then, is not an interruption of this good news; it is part of the way the news is carried. The steward rejoices because the mystery he proclaims is worth every chain. And the mystery itself is intimate: the living Christ has made His home in us, and that home is the surest pledge that glory will one day fill every part of us.

Personal Reflection Questions

1. Name one current difficulty or cost you are facing because you belong to Christ or are seeking to serve His people. How might you, even in a small way, offer that difficulty back to the Lord this week as something spent for the sake of His body?
2. Who is one specific person in your church or circle of influence who needs encouragement or practical help right now? What is one concrete step you can take in the next few days to serve them, even if it feels inconvenient?
3. Where do you sense the Lord inviting you to be a better steward of the gospel—in a conversation, a relationship, or a place of influence? Write down one clear action you will take this week to present the word of God more fully to someone.
4. In a particular struggle or temptation you are facing, what would change if you paused three times today to remember that Christ is in you as your hope of glory? How will you remind yourself of that reality?
5. Identify one person who does not yet know Christ. What is one simple, natural way you can share with them something of the hope that is in you this week—perhaps a word of encouragement, an invitation, or a quiet act of love that points to Jesus?

Prayer

Father, thank You that the mystery long hidden has now been made known in Your Son. Thank You that Christ dwells in us as our sure hope of glory. Help us to rejoice even in the afflictions that come with following Him, and to steward the gospel faithfully for the sake of His body. Quiet our fears, steady our hearts, and let the presence of Jesus within us spill over into the lives of those around us. In His name we pray, Amen.

Your fellow sheep.