Colossians 1:27 - Christ in You, The Hope of Glory.
Colossians 1:27 (NIV) To them God has chosen
to make known among the Gentiles the glorious
riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the
hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27 (NLT) 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.
Colossians 1:27 (CWR) God wants to use you
to attract others to Him with the glorious
riches of what has been revealed and which is seen
by Christ living in you, who is our only hope
of glory.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I love decorating with words. Each time I
walk by a plaque stamped with an encouraging
thought, it gives me a boost. My kitchen wall shouts,
Chill Gods Got This. My hallway, hung with
a beautiful print of two sparrows perched on
either side of a deep red heart, states, We Have
Everything We Need. My living room bookcase is topped
by four tin letters lit with mini lightbulbs
reading hope. H-O-P-E. It is my favorite word
because, mid-chaos, it reminds me that Jesus always
brings hope to the table. Hope. In Him. And Him
alone. The hope of kindness and joy and generosity
and miracles. The hope of salvation. For you and
me. We are made with the great capacity for
hope. Because we are like Jesus, made in His image
and tethered in His love. And the craziest part
of hope is that Jesus is leaving it up to us to
share it with the world.
Christ in you the hope of glory. He
doesnt have another plan. You and me? We are
supposed to be getting the job done. In the midst of
our own struggles and craziness, with families
and work and heartache and bills we can
reach out with hope. His hope. We are charged
to share hope with those around us. Echoing the
richness of Jesuss love. Speaking truth and light.
Putting an arm around frazzled neighbors. Taking
coffee to our mom friends. The hope of Jesus shines
out in our actions and words. Lets spread
some hope today. by Susanna Foth Aughtmon
Faith Step: Make a plan to be a hope
spreader today take a cup of coffee to a
discouraged coworker, hug your children and tell them
how much you love them, or help an elderly
neighbor with his or her overgrown yard. [Mornings
With Jesus 2020 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
INTRODUCTION
As we contemplate the great things of
God's word, we look into a fountain that broadens
and deepens beneath our gaze. Its breadth and
depth pass our knowledge. As we gaze, the vision
widens; stretched out before us we behold a
boundless, shoreless sea.
Such study has vivifying power. The mind
and heart acquire new strength, new life.
This experience is the highest evidence
of the divine authorship of the Bible. We
receive God's word as food for the soul, through the
same evidence by which we receive bread as food
for the body. Bread supplies the need of our
nature; we know by experience that it produces blood
and bone and brain. Apply the same test to the
Bible; when its principles have actually become the
elements of character, what has been the result? what
changes have been made in the life? "Old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2
Corinthians 5:17. In its power, men and women have
broken the chains of sinful habit. They have
renounced selfishness. The profane have become
reverent, the drunken sober, the profligate pure.
Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have
been transformed into the image of God. This
change is itself the miracle of miracles. A change
wrought by the word, it is one of the deepest
mysteries of the word. We cannot understand it; we can
only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it
is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 1:27. ED171-172
COMMENTARY
Christ in You
Nothing else matters if your relationship
with God is not as He intends it to be.
Think about that truth for a moment. Then
ask yourself, "Is my relationship with God all
that He wants it to be?"
Key to living out your relationship with
God according to His will is that you understand
the mystery of "Christ in you." Sanctification
is not something Christ gives to us; it is Him
dwelling in us. We do not imitate Him; He inhabits
us.
This mystery of God is astounding: Christ
dwells within us, and He has given us the hope of
glory. In fact, because Christ lives in us, we
bring hope to people who remain in darkness.
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart so
you can better understand this mystery of God,
this mystery of "Christ in you." That one truth
will transform you - and as it does so, be
prepared for "the hope of glory" to permeate your
life and impact the lives of others. We cannot
fully understand how a holy God could inhabit our
body of dust. But we don't have to comprehend it.
We must only surrender to it. [Being Still With
God Every Day by Henry Blackaby]
Power for Ministry
What kingdom goal are you working toward?
Any goal for God's kingdom - like any
ambition you have for your life - requires effort.
Note, however, that the energy fueling Paul's
kingdom work was - in his words - [God's] working
which works in me mightily."
The Greek behind working also means
"energy" or "power." It describes both physical and
cosmic forces, but in the New Testament it refers
primarily to the activity of either divine or evil
powers. Paul used this word to identify the source
of his strength for ministry: God's power that
raised Jesus from the dead empowered Paul for
ministry. The apostle labored and strived in the power
of his Lord, accomplishing things he could
never have done in his own strength.
The same power is available today to all
who are in Christ. It is accessible to you. Are
you "striving according to His working"? Are you
laboring in the Lord's power? When you do, you'll be
able to achieve kingdom accomplishments you never
dreamed possible. [Being Still With God Every Day by
Henry Blackaby]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Christ Does a Work in You
Jesus not only did a work for us; he does
a work in us! Colossians 1:27 tells us, The
mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in
you. He commands our hands and feet, requisitions
our minds and tongues. As Romans 8:29 declares,
He decided from the outset to shape the lives
of those who love him along the same lines as
the life of his Son.
Well never be sinless, but we will sin
less. And when we do sin, we have assurance that
the grace that saved us also preserves us. We
may lose our tempers, our perspective, and our
self-control. But we never lose our hope. Scripture
promises, He is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to present you faultless before the presence
of His glory with exceeding joy! [Max Lucado
Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
Christ Lives Within You
The virgin birth is more, much more, than
a Christmas story; it is a picture of how
close Christ will come to you. The first stop on
his itinerary was a womb. Where will God go to
touch the world? Look deep within Mary for an
answer.
Better still, look deep within yourself.
What he did with Mary, he offers to us! He issues
a Mary-level invitation to all his children.
"If you'll let me, I'll move in!"
Proliferating throughout the scriptures
is a preposition that leaves no doubt- the
preposition in. Jesus lives in his children.
John was clear, "Those who obey his
commands live in him, and he in them" (1 John 3:24
NIV, emphasis mine).
Christ grew in Mary until he had to come
out. Christ will grow in you until the same
occurs. He will come out in your speech, in your
actions, in your decisions. Every place you live will
be a Bethlehem, and every day you live will be
a Christmas. You, like Mary, will deliver
Christ into the world.
God in us! Have we sounded the depth of
this promise?
God was with Adam and Eve. God was with
Abraham. God was with Moses and the children of
Israel. God was with the apostles.
But he is in you. You are a modern-day
Mary. Even more so. He was a fetus in her, but he
is a force in you. He will do what you cannot.
Can't stop drinking? Christ can. And he
lives within you.
Can't stop worrying? Christ can. And he
lives within you.
Can't forgive the jerk, forget the past,
or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And he
lives within you. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Your choices matter, beloved. They are a
vital part of My transforming work in you. You
make most of your choices alone " in the
solitude of your heart and mind. But remember: I am
Christ in you! I know every thought before you
think it, every decision before you make it. Your
realization that I am aware of everything going on
within you can protect you from careless, selfish
living. Let your desire to please Me, the One who
knows you so intimately, change the way you think
and live.
You may have assumed that your choices
are mostly insignificant, but this is not true.
A good decision you make today, however small,
may set you on a path to accomplish something
very important. A bad decision, seemingly minor,
can lead to serious failure or loss in the
future. Though your choices do indeed matter,
remember that there is no condemnation for those who
belong to Me. I am able to see all your flaws and
failures, yet simultaneously love you with glorious,
unfailing Love. (Col. 1:27; 1Th. 4:1; Rom. 8:1, 2;
Psa. 13:5) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young]
ONE LINER
God made us: invented us as a man invents an
engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would
not run properly on anything else. Now God
designed the human machine to run on Himself. He
Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to
burn, or the food our spirits were designed to
feed on. There is no other. C. S. Lewis in Mere
Christianity
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Colossians 1:27 - Christ In You, The Hope Of
Glory.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20161104-0940.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor
(recent): https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (recent):
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
