Lessons from Colossians: Rejoicing in Suffering
Rejoicing in Suffering: How a Kingdom Perspective Changes Everything
It is easy to praise God when life is going well. But what happens when you are in the middle of a painful season, a dry stretch, or a circumstance you never asked for? The Bible does not shy away from this tension, and neither did the Apostle Paul. In Colossians 1:24 through 2:3, Paul offers a perspective on suffering that challenges everything we naturally feel when life gets hard.
What Does It Mean to Rejoice in Suffering?
Paul opens this passage with a statement that stops most readers in their tracks. He writes, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known." - Colossians 1:24-25 (ESV)
Paul is writing from prison. The very circumstance he likely wished would be removed from his life became the reason he had time to write letters that would shape the church for generations. Instead of growing bitter or defeated, he pressed into his situation and allowed God to use it.
The Story of the Fleas: When God Uses What We Despise
During World War II, sisters Corrie and Betsy ten Boom were arrested for hiding Jewish people in their home and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. When they were transferred to Barracks 28, they discovered it was overcrowded, filthy, and completely infested with fleas.
Corrie reached her breaking point. But Betsy reminded her of 1 Thessalonians 5, which calls believers to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy insisted they thank God even for the fleas. Corrie thought that was impossible.
Over the following months, they held Bible studies in that barracks. Women gathered to worship, read Scripture, and hear about Jesus. The guards never came in to shut them down. They later discovered why: the guards refused to enter Barracks 28 because of the fleas.
The very thing they wished God would remove was the very thing He was using for His purpose.
How Are You Stewarding Your Hard Season?
Paul describes himself as a minister "according to the stewardship from God." Stewardship is a core kingdom principle woven throughout Scripture. God entrusts His people with different levels of responsibility, and He calls us to steward those seasons well, even the painful ones.
It is easy to tend the garden when fruit is growing everywhere. It is something else entirely to remain faithful during a drought. But the seasons that feel the most lifeless can prove to be the most profitable in the end.
The danger in hard seasons is not just discouragement. It is bitterness. When we stop stewarding the difficult moments, we can slip into giving up the very calling we were meant to walk in.
What Is the Kingdom Perspective Paul Is Talking About?
Paul writes in Philippians 1:12-13, "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ."
That is a Kingdom perspective. He is not asking why this is happening to him. He is asking how God is using it.
When believers are in seasons of suffering, people watch more closely. It reveals whether faith has real substance. The world can carry joy when everything is going right. But joy in the middle of suffering is something the world cannot manufacture. That kind of joy points to something greater.
What Was the Mystery Hidden for Ages?
Paul writes in Colossians 1:26-27, "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Think of the Old Testament as a divine treasure map. The sacrifices were clues. The Passover lamb was a clue. The tabernacle, the priesthood, the kings, even Jonah in the belly of the fish were all clues. Every prophet, every promise, every shadow was pointing somewhere.
Then the treasure chest was opened. And the treasure was not a place or an earthly kingdom. The treasure was a person: Jesus Christ.
The mystery was not merely information to be understood. It was a person to be known. Christ in you is the hope of glory. That is the treasure. That is what Paul was willing to suffer for.
Why Was Paul Willing to Endure So Much?
Paul's ministry was marked by imprisonment, beatings, being stoned and left for dead, shipwrecks, sleepless nights, hunger, rejection, and relentless persecution. Yet he continued. He writes in Colossians 1:29, "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me."
He was not building an earthly kingdom that would fade. He was laboring for something eternal. When you know what is waiting on the other side, you can endure the valley. The valley is not all there is.
Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?
There is a common idea in Christian culture that God will never give you more than you can handle. But this is a misreading of Scripture. The verse people often reference, 1 Corinthians 10:13, is specifically about temptation to sin, not suffering in general.
Paul addresses this directly in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9: "For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead."
God absolutely allows circumstances that are beyond our own ability to handle. The reason is clear: so that we stop relying on ourselves and start relying on Him.
Has God's Arm Lost Its Power?
In Numbers 11, the Israelites were in the wilderness complaining and wishing they were back in Egypt. Moses, who had witnessed the glory of God firsthand, began to doubt how God could possibly provide meat for the people. God's response is striking. In Numbers 11:23 (NLT), He simply asks, "Has my arm lost its power?"
It is easy to do the same thing. We have seen God move in our lives. We have experienced His faithfulness. Then a hard season comes and we act as though His power has somehow expired. We try to carry it ourselves. We grow frustrated that He has not fixed it yet.
But the God of the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still on the throne. He still holds all things together. And He is still strong enough to carry you through whatever you are facing right now.
Is Christ Your Strength or Are You Running on Your Own?
Paul's ability to rejoice in suffering was not rooted in personal toughness. It was rooted in dependence on Christ. He writes in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
The question worth sitting with is this: are you relying on Christ's strength right now, or are you trying to push through on your own? Because Paul's example shows us that the power to endure, to rejoice, and to make Christ known in the middle of suffering does not come from within us. It comes from Him working within us.
Life Application
This week, identify one hard circumstance in your life that you have been viewing as something to simply survive or escape. Ask God to help you shift your perspective and begin to steward that season with intentionality. Instead of asking only when it will end, ask what God might be doing through it and how He might be using it to make Himself known through you.
Consider these questions as you reflect:
The mystery has been revealed. Christ is in you, the hope of glory. That truth is enough to carry you through anything this week.
It is easy to praise God when life is going well. But what happens when you are in the middle of a painful season, a dry stretch, or a circumstance you never asked for? The Bible does not shy away from this tension, and neither did the Apostle Paul. In Colossians 1:24 through 2:3, Paul offers a perspective on suffering that challenges everything we naturally feel when life gets hard.
What Does It Mean to Rejoice in Suffering?
Paul opens this passage with a statement that stops most readers in their tracks. He writes, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known." - Colossians 1:24-25 (ESV)
Paul is writing from prison. The very circumstance he likely wished would be removed from his life became the reason he had time to write letters that would shape the church for generations. Instead of growing bitter or defeated, he pressed into his situation and allowed God to use it.
The Story of the Fleas: When God Uses What We Despise
During World War II, sisters Corrie and Betsy ten Boom were arrested for hiding Jewish people in their home and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. When they were transferred to Barracks 28, they discovered it was overcrowded, filthy, and completely infested with fleas.
Corrie reached her breaking point. But Betsy reminded her of 1 Thessalonians 5, which calls believers to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy insisted they thank God even for the fleas. Corrie thought that was impossible.
Over the following months, they held Bible studies in that barracks. Women gathered to worship, read Scripture, and hear about Jesus. The guards never came in to shut them down. They later discovered why: the guards refused to enter Barracks 28 because of the fleas.
The very thing they wished God would remove was the very thing He was using for His purpose.
How Are You Stewarding Your Hard Season?
Paul describes himself as a minister "according to the stewardship from God." Stewardship is a core kingdom principle woven throughout Scripture. God entrusts His people with different levels of responsibility, and He calls us to steward those seasons well, even the painful ones.
It is easy to tend the garden when fruit is growing everywhere. It is something else entirely to remain faithful during a drought. But the seasons that feel the most lifeless can prove to be the most profitable in the end.
The danger in hard seasons is not just discouragement. It is bitterness. When we stop stewarding the difficult moments, we can slip into giving up the very calling we were meant to walk in.
What Is the Kingdom Perspective Paul Is Talking About?
Paul writes in Philippians 1:12-13, "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ."
That is a Kingdom perspective. He is not asking why this is happening to him. He is asking how God is using it.
When believers are in seasons of suffering, people watch more closely. It reveals whether faith has real substance. The world can carry joy when everything is going right. But joy in the middle of suffering is something the world cannot manufacture. That kind of joy points to something greater.
What Was the Mystery Hidden for Ages?
Paul writes in Colossians 1:26-27, "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Think of the Old Testament as a divine treasure map. The sacrifices were clues. The Passover lamb was a clue. The tabernacle, the priesthood, the kings, even Jonah in the belly of the fish were all clues. Every prophet, every promise, every shadow was pointing somewhere.
Then the treasure chest was opened. And the treasure was not a place or an earthly kingdom. The treasure was a person: Jesus Christ.
The mystery was not merely information to be understood. It was a person to be known. Christ in you is the hope of glory. That is the treasure. That is what Paul was willing to suffer for.
Why Was Paul Willing to Endure So Much?
Paul's ministry was marked by imprisonment, beatings, being stoned and left for dead, shipwrecks, sleepless nights, hunger, rejection, and relentless persecution. Yet he continued. He writes in Colossians 1:29, "For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me."
He was not building an earthly kingdom that would fade. He was laboring for something eternal. When you know what is waiting on the other side, you can endure the valley. The valley is not all there is.
Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?
There is a common idea in Christian culture that God will never give you more than you can handle. But this is a misreading of Scripture. The verse people often reference, 1 Corinthians 10:13, is specifically about temptation to sin, not suffering in general.
Paul addresses this directly in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9: "For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead."
God absolutely allows circumstances that are beyond our own ability to handle. The reason is clear: so that we stop relying on ourselves and start relying on Him.
Has God's Arm Lost Its Power?
In Numbers 11, the Israelites were in the wilderness complaining and wishing they were back in Egypt. Moses, who had witnessed the glory of God firsthand, began to doubt how God could possibly provide meat for the people. God's response is striking. In Numbers 11:23 (NLT), He simply asks, "Has my arm lost its power?"
It is easy to do the same thing. We have seen God move in our lives. We have experienced His faithfulness. Then a hard season comes and we act as though His power has somehow expired. We try to carry it ourselves. We grow frustrated that He has not fixed it yet.
But the God of the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still on the throne. He still holds all things together. And He is still strong enough to carry you through whatever you are facing right now.
Is Christ Your Strength or Are You Running on Your Own?
Paul's ability to rejoice in suffering was not rooted in personal toughness. It was rooted in dependence on Christ. He writes in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
The question worth sitting with is this: are you relying on Christ's strength right now, or are you trying to push through on your own? Because Paul's example shows us that the power to endure, to rejoice, and to make Christ known in the middle of suffering does not come from within us. It comes from Him working within us.
Life Application
This week, identify one hard circumstance in your life that you have been viewing as something to simply survive or escape. Ask God to help you shift your perspective and begin to steward that season with intentionality. Instead of asking only when it will end, ask what God might be doing through it and how He might be using it to make Himself known through you.
Consider these questions as you reflect:
- Am I relying on my own strength to get through this season, or am I genuinely depending on Christ's power working within me?
- Is there bitterness in my heart about a painful circumstance that I have not surrendered to God?
- How might the hard thing I am walking through right now be something God wants to use for His glory and for the good of others around me?
- Am I living for the temporary moment, or am I keeping an eternal perspective on what truly matters?
The mystery has been revealed. Christ is in you, the hope of glory. That truth is enough to carry you through anything this week.
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