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Colossians 1:24-27
Paul finds joy in serving the needs of the church, for this is what God called him to do, and the joy that he is experiencing is in the rewards for his labor. The prophets spoke of the coming of Christ (the mystery of the word of God) but now this mystery has been fulfilled through Christ.
During the time of the early Church there was a lot of mystery as to how God could allow the Gentiles to be part of His plan of salvation which previously had a stereotype that Gentiles were not allowed to partake of. But the truth is that God has always allowed the foreigners of the Israelites to be included with His chosen people Israel if they would accept Him as their God. As God gave the regulations for the Passover, He instructed Moses and Aaron in Exodus 12:48–49 (NKJV), “And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Notice how God stated that if the stranger/foreigner wants to keep the Passover. God has always allowed us all to make a choice as to if we want to follow Him or not. God is love (1 John 4:8) and He will not force Himself upon us as is His nature being love—always giving but never taking; always open to receive. God chose to reveal His mystery of salvation through Christ Jesus to the Gentiles; a mystery that is great enough to save not just Israel but the whole world from sin (John 3:16–17).
This is an example of Paul’s service in ministry.
This is a promise of revealing the mystery of salvation through Christ Jesus to the world.
This example and promise are encouragement for humanity to study God’s word and His teachings so that we all may rejoice in laboring for the church as did the Apostle Paul. To deny oneself, take up our cross, and follow Jesus is a tough road to travel, but the rewards are magnificent (Matthew 16:24–28). The truth is that no matter what road you choose to travel in this world, you will have trials and tribulations. Jesus never promised to remove trials and tribulations from our lives—He promised to help us through them (Matthew 14:15-18; 26–27; 16:33; 28:19–20). Profess Jesus your savior today and follow His will for your life, and He will help you through the trials and tribulations and into eternity with Him in His glory.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for reaching out to reveal Your great plan of salvation through Your only begotten Son Jesus to not just the Israelites, but to humanity. We all may experience a personal relationship with You through Your Son Jesus, who died for our sins. Give us strength and endurance and patience to follow You and keep our eyes on You always. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.