OCT 25

Colossians 1:24
Memorise Colossians 1:24
“…rejoice in my sufferings for you…”

In Colossians 1:24 Paul testifies that he “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.” In thinking back to his calling and ministry as a servant of the Lord, Paul’s thoughts go to the sufferings that he has endured for the gospel sake. What Paul is saying is that by going through these trials and afflictions, he is ‘filling up’ or fulfilling his allotment of sufferings which he, as a Christian, knows he ought to endure. But as he goes through them, he does not complain nor dread the process. Rather, he rejoices! Why? Because he knows that the church is the body of Christ and, in suffering for the church, Paul is in effect suffering for Christ. Indeed what glorifies Christ will in turn also edify the church. For example, when the doctrine of preservation is defended at whatever cost, Christ is glorified, and every church member is confident that the Bible has no mistakes. Paul rejoices in suffering not only because of this, but also in the fact that God can use his weak flesh to bear fruit for Christ.

This is in stark contrast to how many of us view suffering: we think of how it affects our weak flesh physically, rather than the fruit it bears for Christ. When we think in this way, we allow Satan to intimidate us and cause us to fear suffering. I have personally been guilty of this too. When I am slogging through late nights to write these devotional articles by the deadline, I think more of my own tiredness and lack of time to do other things, rather than rejoice in this opportunity to serve my Saviour and you, teens. We should not seek out suffering, but when it occurs, we should rejoice that Christ uses weak vessels like us to bear fruit for Him, the King of kings. We must not wallow in self-pity, thinking that no one else understands what we are going through, or worse, shy away from suffering as we fear our weak bodies cannot handle the physical hardship.

Thought: What causes me to fear suffering?
Prayer: That I may rejoice in suffering!