All Glory to God the Father

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Scripture Text:  Colossians 1:24-2:3

Colossians 1:27

God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

(CSB)

When most people think of treasure, they think of winning the lottery or inheriting a large sum of money from a rich friend or relative.  The thought of suddenly coming into such a vast sum of money causes us to dream of the nice home they would buy, the nice car they would own, or even giving a large sum of money to our favorite church or charity.  Unfortunately, the facts are that lottery winners are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years than the average American.  (1)  1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us that the love of money is the root of evil activity.  The powerful temptation once one suddenly comes into a vast amount of money can create a love for money that supersedes ones love for God. 

However, money is not the only thing one can fall in love with that supersedes a love for God.  The Apostle Paul had great success planting churches all over the known world of his time.  Pride in his accomplishments could have led to him becoming bitter when suffering in a dingy Roman jail.   However, the text of Colossians 1:24-2:3 records Paul rejoicing in his sufferings while in jail.  Once again, we have an example of one in ministry not giving into pride and instead giving glory to God despite his sufferings.  Since all of us have a ministry in Christ, we all like the Apostle Paul must learn to,

1)      Rejoice despite the circumstances in our lives (Colossians 1:24-26) – It seems strange for the Apostle Paul to write of being a servant to his sufferings.  However, with hindsight, we know that while in prison, the Apostle Paul authored letters to the churches he had established with these letters becoming part of the Bible.  While the circumstances of life may cause suffering, they are part of God’s grand plan for our lives and actually serve to cause us to do whatever God has for us to do.  We, therefore, must avoid complaining about our circumstances and instead seek what god wants us to do while in these circumstances. 

2)      Draw closer to God through meditation on scripture (Colossians 1:27-29) – While in prison, the Apostle Paul had more time to meditate on scripture and time in prayer.  Perhaps it was during this time that he realized the importance of his work of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.  It was never the intention of Jesus that only Jews would be saved for he told Nicodemus that anyone believing in Him as Messiah would be saved (John 3:16).  The role of the Apostle Paul was to be the feet bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, which is why he finds himself in prison.  The lesson Paul teaches us is that instead of complaining, he draws closer to God and under the inspiration of God, writes what becomes much of the New Testament in the Bible. 

3)      Give encouragement (Colossians 2:1-3) – The concluding verses of the text provide encouragement by Paul to the church.  Perhaps Paul feared the churches he established would become focused on his sufferings and lose sight of their mission to spread the Gospel message (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  Instead of focus on his sufferings, the Apostle Paul encourages them to focus on Jesus, a treasure greater than any amount of money one could win in the lottery. 

While most reading this have not won a big lottery jackpot, if you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you have a treasure worth more than any winning lottery ticket.  However, like winning the lottery, we must be wise in what we do with the great prize we have.  Will we become prideful and moralistic by acting spiritually superior to those that do not know Christ.  Will we become devastated when our circumstances cause us to suffer and complain believing a child of God should not need to suffer.  Will we be like the Apostle Paul and rejoice in, not about, our sufferings and find a way to serve God in our suffering.  My prayer is that those reading this would follow the example of Paul. 

1. Hess, Abigail. Here's why lottery winners go broke. www.cnbc.com. [Online] NBC, August 25, 2017. [Cited: March 9, 2019.] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/25/heres-why-lottery-winners-go-broke.html.