Rejoicing in suffering is not normal. There is a
psychological term for people like that – nut job. Okay, I admit that is not
the technical term, but you get the idea. But for Paul, suffering for the
Kingdom means becoming more like Jesus: suffering as He suffered for the church
brings joy. What we have to understand is that there is a purpose and a power
involved in this. The purpose is to preach the gospel to those who haven’t
heard. The power is to reveal the mystery long-hidden but now made clear. What
is that mystery? It is Christ in us, the hope of glory. In all my years as a
Christian, I have never had anyone to adequately – at least in my opinion – explain
this, but here is my attempt. Our hope of glory is the hope that cannot be
obtained except through the shed blood of Jesus. God loves us so much that He
sent His Son to die on the cross so that all who would accept the free gift of
salvation would spend eternity with Him. In Him. In Christ Jesus. That is our
hope of glory: Hope for today because if we are in Him we are safe and sound,
assured of God’s love and provision. And His provision includes everything from
our basic needs to our spiritual maturity. But it is also hope for tomorrow –
actually for all eternity – because He tells us that in Christ, we have the
promise of heaven.
So Paul is willing to suffer for the Kingdom because God
called him to minister; he became God’s gift to the Gentiles. His preaching
would communicate the message that would transform lives, and every life
transformed would be presented to God as perfect in Christ Jesus. This is Paul’s
calling. Is it mine? Is it yours? In a sense, it is the calling for all of us
to whom the mystery is revealed. God, help me today to faithfully labor for the
Kingdom and to rejoice in my suffering. Make that my new normal!
No comments:
Post a Comment