Take a moment to read Colossians 1:23-29 before reading the devotional below.
Paul hammers his message home as we read verse 23: Jesus embodies the full power of God who loves you and wants you and came to rescue you. And don’t you dare forget that! I’ve certainly had people in my life that I have wanted to give that reminder to over and over. There is something about how good the Good News is that makes it take a lifetime to digest.
The next verse delves into a topic that can be a tricky one: suffering. Have you ever noticed that all the people who talk about how we should act/feel while we suffer are not themselves suffering? So let’s get rid of the simplistic talk and look at Paul. He had a sense of his mission, and he was determined to do it no matter how much he suffered for it. He had a secret that the entire world needed to know: Jesus is alive in you. And since Jesus is fully connected to God then you are fully connected to God! It’s a message worth dying for.
Here’s your freedom for today: when you are on a mission you become someone you never imagined you’d be. Notice Paul is not on his own mission — he has a word straight from God that we can adopt as our very own mission too. Some people get lost on this point because they don’t feel like they have a clear sense of calling. Don’t worry, your mission is right here: tell everyone that Jesus is alive and ready to make peace. Paul never imagined he could do this, or that he ever would want to do this, since his primary mission before this was to kill all Christians. You never know how God is going to turn your life upside-down when you get your mission from him. But you’ll become the person you were made to be.