Striving

Col.
{1:19} For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell
{1:20} And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say,] whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.
{1:21} And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
{1:22} In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight
{1:23} If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister
{1:24} Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church
{1:25} Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
{1:26} [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints
{1:27} To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
{1:28} Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus
{1:29} Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.


Paul labors...strives according to the work of Jesus Christ, a work that works even in him.


Striving is important. People tend to equate striving with trying to work their way to heaven and we all know that works mean nothing, we're saved by faith. The striving is to minister the word of Christ's salvation being offered to all.


Preaching- warning- teaching all wisdom and that wisdom is Christ, in Christ, and we must have Christ in our lives.


We need to continue in the faith grounded and settled- when you're grounded and settled in something it's part of your life. If hope becomes part of our lives we can't lose it can we? The hope is Christ and Him crucified for us. Christ suffered and died for us and it's something we can't forget. We can't forget that Christ lives for us. We live because He lives. Every breath we take we take for Him.


Our minds have us committing wicked works which cause alienation between us and Christ. We can be reconciled to Christ because Christ came for that purpose and that purpose only. Only through Christ do we live. Accepting what Christ had done for us is what we need to do, relying solely on Him and not upon ourselves at all. We need to spread this same hope to all, to let all others know that they too can have that hope, the hope that is found in Christ, the only hope that truly matters.


By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may we find our hope only in Him, striving, labouring, ministering, preaching as He would have us do.


Amen.