Three-in-One: The Relational GodНамуна

God's Fellowship (8)

Joy in Suffering

The Bible doesn't sugarcoat things. It's very honest about how difficult life can be. The author of Colossians, Paul, was clear that followers of Jesus should expect to face troubles and challenges. But he was also clear that when we do, we somehow join with the sufferings of Jesus himself, which in a strange upside-down way is an undeserved honor.

Paul wrote from experience. He was imprisoned (more than once) for preaching the good news about Jesus being the promised Savior and Lord. He wasn’t just spouting words that sounded good or that he hoped were true. He knew they were true. He’d experienced the power of Jesus personally.

For Paul, being thrown in jail was worth it. He was determined to tell people the truth about Jesus Christ. He was determined to warn people about the world’s lies. He was determined to teach people the wisdom he had learned during many years of studying Scripture (for him that would have been the Hebrew scriptures, or Old Testament). He was determined to explain what it meant to fully follow Jesus.

He did all these things because of his love for Christ. Then he wrote about these things to churches all across the ancient world so that his listeners would grow and become mature followers of Jesus. Today, we get to listen in to those letters and learn from them, too.

Paul was committed to proclaiming the “entire message” of God so it would be “fully known.” Then God's children would have “full assurance” and “complete confidence” that they understand Christ — who he is, what he did during his life on earth, and what he is doing now.

Reflect

• Have you ever faced troubles or challenges because of your faith in Jesus? How did you respond?
• What do you learn about God in these verses? (When Paul writes "God" he almost always means the Father.)
• What do you learn about Jesus in these verses? (When Paul writes "Lord" he almost always means Jesus.)
• What do you learn about the Holy Spirit in these verses?
• What do you learn about humanity and yourself in these verses?