OCT 26

Colossians 1:24
Memorise Philippians 3:10
“…fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ…”

Colossians 1:24 contains an interesting phrase: “fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh”. Enemies of Christ cannot afflict Christ now because He is in heaven and out of their reach, so instead they afflict Christians. When we suffer, we are actually suffering on behalf of Christ. Philippians 3:10 states that Christ allows us to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings, granting us the opportunity to glorify Christ in our suffering just as Christ glorified Himself and His heavenly Father in His suffering. In effect, Christ considers our suffering His own! Note that the word “fill up” means supplement. The phrase ‘that which is behind’ describes a deficiency or lacking – not in the sufferings of Christ but in the amount of sufferings that Paul has experienced for Christ thus far. It is an amazing thing that Paul says, that he sees his troubles as simply something he rejoices to go through, knowing that he is but doing his part, and that through it, he is given an opportunity to glorify Christ. Thus when Paul suffers for the church, it does not mean he suffers to redeem the church, but instead to further edify the redeemed church.

Do you realise therefore that when you suffer, you are given an opportunity to suffer as Christ suffered? When non-believers pour scorn on you for believing in God, remember that they are not mocking you but Christ instead, and rejoice that Christ has given you this opportunity to partake of His sufferings! Consider that from the least to the greatest of sufferings that Christ endured, He never complained. We ought to follow His example and not feel aggrieved at the public humiliation we receive from non-believers, but instead face these mockers squarely with a smile and say, “Yes, we do believe in God.” and openly share about this belief. Remember that not a few have come to believe in Christ through witnessing the testimony of saints under persecution. The dying thief is one such example of a believer who initially mocked Christ, so we should never assume these mockers will never come to Christ later.

Thought: Do I dare to pray as Paul did in Philippians 3:10?
Prayer: May I pray the prayer of Paul in Philippians 3:10.