August 11, 2022
To [His saints] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. Colossians 1:27-29
Paul’s message to the Colossians has a strong emphasis on Christ as the head of the Church. His purpose in magnifying the preeminence of Jesus is to show us how to exercise our wills to place Him first and foremost in every aspect of life. This is our witness to the world! When we become His followers, it is not as though we have lost our free wills. Christ is the head of the Church, but He is not a dictator. In fact, it is the exercise of our wills for the express purpose of pleasing Him that constitutes true service and worship. Paul said, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” Paul, in his love for the church, expended effort and energy, striving according to His working… for the spiritual enrichment of his fellow believers. In this word picture, Paul is painting human effort—under the headship of Christ—as the way to enlarge His kingdom. And isn’t saving people the heart and soul of His ministry?
The greatest enemy of life under the headship of Christ is my own heart, for it is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Most of the struggling or striving that I encounter has more to do with resisting His will than expending energy and effort for the eternal sake of others. Let us pray for each other that we will pursue the development of Christ’s character in submitting our wills to His: Christ in you, the hope of glory!
It is a perilous half-truth that He does everything for us. It is true that He has done the impossible—He created us. He redeemed us, paying with His sinless life the entire debt we owe for our sin—and now His Spirit is given to us for our active, lively participation in His plan and purpose. We are to hold fast to Him throughout each precious day, directing our efforts toward good and actively resisting any evil thought or action. Paul compared the discipline of the Christian life to the discipline of athletes.
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 1 Corinthians 9:24
You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. Hebrews 12:4
Jesus said: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:24