"Very often I come to realize that at times, life stinks. If you don't have any problems at all going on in your life, then we need to hang out more often because that carefree lifestyle needs to rub off on me. Everyday it seems that there is a whole new slew of challenges to face and overcome, whether it's drama at home, arguments with my brother, or disagreements with my girlfriend; it just seems like there will be no end to challenges.
I was talking to my girlfriend last night about challenges and stuff like that and a figure popped into my head, the apostle Paul. I think that I have challenges, but this guy literally had to worry about the fact that he was going to tell others about Jesus and may not live to see the next day. The guy did absolutely amazing things and it was all a result of the fact that he stayed his course and didn't waver.
Colossians 1:24-27 says:
"Now I rejoice in what was suffered 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 saints. 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."
Paul is rejoicing in that fact that he has suffered for the people of the church. God placed the calling on his life of stepping it up presenting the gospel to all men, not just to the Jewish people. The fact is that all men are able to accept the greatest gift of all, the chance to know Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with him. Many times we get boggled down with the idea that, "I'm not a pastor, so that's not my job." We need to realize the fact that pastors can't do everything themselves, just like the apostle Paul couldn't reach as many people as he did by himself. We are a team, a body of believers and we all need to be working towards the same goal. The goal of reaching as many people as we can with the gospel.
Remember the hope of glory is that Christ can live inside of us and make us new people. I want to leave off with this verse found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I wholeheartedly believe that!
I was talking to my girlfriend last night about challenges and stuff like that and a figure popped into my head, the apostle Paul. I think that I have challenges, but this guy literally had to worry about the fact that he was going to tell others about Jesus and may not live to see the next day. The guy did absolutely amazing things and it was all a result of the fact that he stayed his course and didn't waver.
Colossians 1:24-27 says:
"Now I rejoice in what was suffered 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 saints. 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."
Paul is rejoicing in that fact that he has suffered for the people of the church. God placed the calling on his life of stepping it up presenting the gospel to all men, not just to the Jewish people. The fact is that all men are able to accept the greatest gift of all, the chance to know Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with him. Many times we get boggled down with the idea that, "I'm not a pastor, so that's not my job." We need to realize the fact that pastors can't do everything themselves, just like the apostle Paul couldn't reach as many people as he did by himself. We are a team, a body of believers and we all need to be working towards the same goal. The goal of reaching as many people as we can with the gospel.
Remember the hope of glory is that Christ can live inside of us and make us new people. I want to leave off with this verse found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I wholeheartedly believe that!
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