Now I Rejoice

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 . . . (Colossians 1:24)

God uses difficult times to shape our character in ways only hardships can accomplish. Every trial the Lord permits is an opportunity; a choice to lift our hands or hang our heads, to remember His goodness or remember our failures, to serve through it or shrink from it. Every delay we experience is the space God uses to purify our hearts, our hopes and dreams. Tough times are a set-up for our testimony and a platform for God's victory in our lives. So rejoice, children of God. Even in the midst of difficulty, rejoice!

 

It is natural to complain about our sufferings, but Paul chose to see them as a privilege and as a testimony to the overcoming power of Christ. When he speaks of, "filling up in my flesh what is lacking ...," he is not saying that our Lord's sacrifice was in any way insufficient; he is speaking of the joy he received in sharing the Good News of Christ, though the opposition he faced was fierce and violent, just as it was for our Lord. Paul was willing, even glad to suffer reproach for the sake of Christ, so that the church might be firmly established and built up. May the Lord give us the same attitude, and may we be determined to complete the ministry He has so kindly given us -- even through suffering.

 

Let's Pray – Father, help me to see pass the present difficulties to the glory which lies ahead. I am looking unto Jesus, and all my hopes are found in Him. Amen.