Scripture.

For God, wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

Observation

Paul says, he is glad when he suffers for the church in his body. He is participating in the suffering of Christ for the church. God has given Paul the responsibility of proclaiming the entire message. This mystery was kept secret for generations, But now is openly proclaimed.

The mystery is that the riches and glory of Christ are for the Gentiles, as well as the Jews. The secret is that Christ is alive in us.

So Paul tells everyone and warns everyone with all the wisdom he has. He wants to be able to present them, the Colossians, to God perfect in their relationship with Christ.

Application

What seemed amazing at that time was always God’s plan for the world.

Salvation was never meant for the Jews alone. It was a corruption of their revelation that led the Jews to believe that they were special to the exclusion of Gentiles.

The fact is that God loves the entire world. Jesus came to set every person free from satan’s clutches and from the bondage of sin. In him, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, just people needing salvation.

Now Christ lives in every person who receives Him. The Holy Spirit is Christ in us. This is a profound mystery.

From the beginning, humans were meant to live in close and intimate relationship with God. Sin took this away. Now in Christ, that relationship is restored.

Every single person who says, “Yes” to Christ has God’s Spirit living within them.

How awesome is that?

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for releasing me from sin’s power and for dwelling in me. Amen.

Scripture

As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Observation

The words of the preceding hymn apply to us. We were once far away from God, enemies even. Our evil thoughts and deeds alienated us from Him.

But God has reconciled us to Himself through the death of Christ. We stand in God’s presence, holy, faultless, and without a single sin.

As for us, we must cling to the truth by faith. We must not drift away from the assurance that came with the Good News. This Good News has been preached to the whole world.

Application

My standing before God is entirely by grace.

I was in the darkness, but He shone the light. I could never repay the debt I owed him. Even eternity is not enough time to pay for the crime,

Here is Grace. I was a sinner lost in sin, deserving punishment and condemnation. But God reached down, shared His Good News, and then gave me the faith to believe it. He lifted me out of the mud and set my feet on the solid rock.

He calls me holy and blameless. It is not because I am perfect. No, the blood of Jesus covers every sin, past and future. There is no record.

Love does not take offence. God loves me so, He is not offended when I fail to act appropriately.

Because I know His love and want to love Him back, my motivations for thinking, speaking, and doing change. God says I am without fault and I am growing into His declaration.

Prayer

Nothing I can do will earn your favour, Lord. Thank you for loving me, regardless of my sin. Amen.