Colossians and the Holy Spirit of God (Part 5) — Colossians 1:24-23: Mystery in Christ

Paul in Colossians 1:24 is making clear that the suffering he is going through is not something that occurred to him years ago, or necessarily something that will occur at a given point in time in the future. But what Paul is saying is that "I'm suffering right now for you! This is what I'm going through right now!" This gives us a sense of the reality, truth and immediacy of Scripture. Scripture is not a story; Scripture is recorded history inspired by God.

There are two things Paul is emphasizing here: #1 "I am rejoicing" and #2 "I am suffering".

For Christians, these two realities don't have to happen exclusive of each other. As a matter of fact, as a Christian, both suffering and rejoicing most often happen in concert with one another and we have to keep that reality in mind with regard to our daily lives.