the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Colossians 1:26-29

In the last post we explored the fact that Paul rejoiced in his sufferings; this passage gives the reason to rejoice: Christ in us, the hope of glory.

It seems that part of our human condition allows us to endure just about any amount of pain when there is an end in mind.

A light at the end of the tunnel.

Joy at the end of the suffering.

A beautiful baby after hours upon hours of labor.

It was for the “joy set before Him” that Christ endured the worst possible physical and spiritual pain (Hebrews 12:2).

For the unbeliever, this life is all there is. There is no hope. There is no comfort. But it is not so with us. This is why the Hope of Glory, Heaven, Christ in Us is such an important part of our daily lives as Christians. And to this “end” Paul preaches, that every man may know Christ.

We all suffer. Suffering to one degree or another is an inescapable clause of life. How we cope with that suffering is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. Do we lose hope? Do we get discouraged? Do we give up? No.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

We have Christ in Us. He is our Hope of Glory.

Questions for Further Thought:

• What is your impression of this passage?
• How do you define hope? How does the Bible define Hope?
• How does that change your outlook?
• Verses to Look Up
  • Hebrews 12:1-3
  • 2 Corinthians 4
  • Colossians 3:1-4
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3
  • Romans 5:2
  • Ephesians 1:18
  • 1 Peter 1:21