“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 NKJV

Our Hope

I reflect back when my mother was in her last days here on this earth—sick with cancer, weak, lying on her bed. One of the scriptures she quoted was “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This scripture has come to my heart and mind many times throughout the years since 1984 when the Lord took her home to live with Him in heaven. To this day, I still miss her; I miss her laugh, her wisdom, her friendship, but most of all I basically miss her as my mom.

In this scripture, Paul was writing to believers in Jesus Christ—to those who loved the Lord. The mystery that Paul shares with us is not a secret, but is open to everyone all over the world. God wills each one of us to understand the mystery of the privilege of Christ living in us.

The mystery was something that was hidden in times past when the Holy Spirit came upon people and spoke to them, and then left them. After Jesus died on the cross and came alive on the third day, He ascended into heaven, and then God sent the Holy Spirit to live within us. Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Jesus’ act of obedience to His Father’s will guarantees our salvation when we ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in us; the former mystery is now understood, which is “Christ in us, the hope of glory.” 

This hope that is spoken of by Paul is not wishful thinking—it is a confident, expectant, joyful hope, with the knowledge that we are being changed by God, and that one day we will see Jesus face to face—the guarantee of our heavenly inheritance. This truth is full of glorious riches beyond our imagination.

Even though I’ve known this truth for many years, I still get excited when the Holy Spirit reminds me of the precious moments that I shared with my mother that time in my life when she was leaving this earth to spend eternity with Jesus. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son Jesus into this world—to live on this earth, and to die for our sins—and we are thankful that You love us so much! Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us when we make known our invitation to You. We love You, Lord! Amen.