Colossians 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:”
To “fill up that which is behind” is to live and preach and teach the whole truth “of the afflictions of Christ” and our required faithfulness to Him, which was lacking in Paul’s day and is again lacking in our day. Paul rejoiced to have the opportunity to suffer “afflictions” in his own body for the cause “of Christ”, “for his body’s sake, which is the church”. It seems that our Lord’s Commandment, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), is again summarily overlooked and ignored in our present society that is so wonderfully blessed with comforts and benefits. Our great comforts and benefits are becoming our gods. To “take up” our “cross” is to willingly and joyfully make whatever sacrifice is necessary to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). Many outrightly reject Christ and His Teachings and some are agnostic and many more want to wear the Christian badge but don’t want to run the race. Paul told the Colossian Brethren that he rejoiced to make great sacrifices in his life so that he could better declare the meaning of Christ’s coming and Sacrifice to them and what the Lord expects of His people. The truth of Christ Jesus and our worshipful allegiance to Him and His Word is so important that Paul willingly endured great sufferings in order to declare His truth and to exhort His people to be faithful to it. Moses warned the Children of Israel this way, “if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 8:19). The Lord sent a message to the Church at Laodicea, telling them that “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Those who are allegorically spued “out of” the Lord’s “mouth” are cut off from His blessings and protection; what follows is great anguish an misery. We are exhorted this way, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1) and “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Hebrews 4:11)! Our Lord Jesus Christ fully, finally, and eternally sacrificially secured our Home in Heaven with Him, but when we fail to properly worship and serve Him, we can lose the benefit of our “rest” in Him in this present life. Therefore, let us be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58)!