Mystery Of The Ages

“…the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Colossians 1:26 (NKJV)

Of all the religions of the world, Christianity is unique in that its God died for its adherents, rather than the other way around. Christ came to earth as a human being to live and die as the perfect example of God’s way of life.
But there is another distinction of which many Christians may be unaware. This was central in the apostle Paul’s understanding and is intended to give Christians not only confidence in the plan of God for individual salvation, but also confidence in our day-to-day living.

Every Christian feels inadequate. “Why should God pick me? I’m no one special. I’m just one of millions – and not a very good specimen of humanity at that. Why pick me?” Which often leads to: “I’ll never make it. There’s no way that God will eventually give me salvation!”

The answer God gives us is so encouraging, as it is so humbling. God doesn’t usually pick the great ones of this world. He does indeed select “ordinary mortals” (1 Corinthians 1:27), but then He sets out to give us every advantage to change (verse 28).

Given who we are, our heritage, that we are often indeed the dregs of society, the no-hopers, the ones un-rated and dismissed by the great ones of this world, God not only gives us the promise of a great future, “the hope of GLORY”, but He gives us the means to achieve it day by day, through Christ in us. This mystery, that Christ dwells in the believer though the Holy Spirit, is the other distinction.

The apostle John picked up on this concept, and in Jesus’ last conversation before His great sacrifice for us, he explained what ‘Christ in you’ means: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

From this, the weak and base Christian, becomes someone able to do anything necessary, anything he or she is called upon to do in living his Christian life daily, because it is the God within who actually does the enabling. As Michael Caine never actually said, “Not a lot of people know that.” And too many Christians don’t seem know that to their hurt (2 Timothy 3:5). We have everything we need to become overcomers.

Prayer
Most merciful Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to those, like me, who are dismissed as being of no importance by those ruling in this world. Thank You for making it possible, through the presence of Jesus in us, that in Your eyes we are so precious to You. Help us to understand the strength Your presence gives us in our daily lives, and the promise of future glory in the life to come. In Jesus’ name
Amen

Study by John Stettaford