Present Hope Future Glory

6.15.2011

Colossians 1:27 27 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. NIV

Paul speaks of a thing called a mystery; it’s simply an unknown. It’s not that it’s unknowable – it’s just that it’s unknown. When Jesus ascended He told His disciples, “…Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20 NIV) Jesus was telling His people, “Go tell them about Me and invite them to live the rest of their lives getting to know Me – that’s to be your job until you die.”

In the verses just before Colossians 1.27 Paul said, “I have become [the Church’s] servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.” (Col 1:25-26 NIV) Paul calls the Word of God the Mystery. Again, it’s not unknowable, it’s simply unknown – but not to all; only the church has received the mystery. The church is supposed to tell everybody else.

The mystery is this: Christ in [us] the hope of glory. We could say Christ is for us and He certainly is – Jesus is for us. But the difference is Christ in [us] the hope of glory. Not only is Jesus our God and Savior, He has chosen to live by His Spirit within us. And because in us is where He has purposed to dwell, then we have the hope of glory in the future and the promise of glory right now in the present. God’s hope and promises are as good as the real thing because they never fail or disappoint.

Today, my faith is built upon Christ in me, my Hope of glory. And glory is where everything good (according to heaven’s standard) is… I didn’t built that faith today, it was given to me a long time ago. The hope is the foundation upon which I live today in Him. And it isn’t just the hope, it’s also my hope of being with Him forever and everything else heaven has to offer.

Father in Heaven,
Today, may I be a teller of the hope of glory and the answer to every human dilemma known to man: Christ in me, the hope of glory. Today, I walk and live with Christ in me – He’s not somewhere else; and may the radiance of His present glory point to a future glory that all may see – I pray in His Name.