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.

Colossians 1:27

For Meditation

What a glorious picture to behold! 

The Almighty God had a plan for my life, even before I was conceived in my mother’s womb. It was a treasure so precious to him that He kept it as His most guarded secret for “centuries and generations past” (Col. 1:27). He did not reveal it, even, to His friend Abraham. Neither did He open it to Moses, or David, or any of His prophets. When I think about it, I am flabbergasted. That the Most High thought so highly about me before I ever became a fetus to be born into this world is beyond me. But now He has revealed it to His people.

God has revealed the mystery of the church to His saints (Eph. 2:11-22). He wanted them to know that “the riches and glory of Christ are for [us] Gentiles, too” (27nlt). Amazing!

God kept the how of my salvation under wraps for ages to make it sweeter when it was revealed, at last, in the finished work of Christ. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship”(Gal. 4:4-5). “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Rm. 8:16-17).

I am special. I am loved. I have been preserved for the unveiling of The Father’s love for the world (Jn. 3:16; Rm.5:8). But the secret of it all is this: “Christ lives in [me]. This gives [me]assurance of sharing in His glory” (Col. 1:27nlt).

When I close my eyes for the last time on this side of eternity, they will open in my Savior’s welcoming face. When God recalls the “breath of life” He breathed in me that made me a living soul (Gen.2:7), Christ will preserve it in Himself until He raptures me into His presence in my new and glorious body forever.

This is my hope of glory. This is my encouragement for living. And I owe it all to Him who died on the cross for me. His love continues to baffle me. The outpouring of His grace overwhelms me in every sphere of my life.
I may not feel it sometimes. I may not sense it in the straits of life. Yet, when the crucible becomes unbearable, He is my only consolation and hope – my Savior, Friend, and Burden-bearer. 
I worship you, Jesus.