24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 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.REFLECTIONSWritten by Graham MallisonI found verse 24 in this passage challenging, particularly “I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions”. I looked at some commentaries, and it appears that Paul considers that the things that he has had to endure were part of his service as a follower of Jesus.Verse 26 talks about the mystery that had been kept hidden for ages. This made me stop and think about what had been hidden. So, when I found that it was, Christ in you the hope of glory, I spent time thinking about what was this hope. For me hope is an assurance of something in the future. I have assurance that I will be in heaven because my sins are forgiven all through the death of Jesus ChristAs sons of God not only do we have all the blessings of our heavenly inheritance when we die, but Jesus lives in us now. Therefore, we have His guidance, power, protection, strength with us in every moment, always and in everything, every day.The challenge for me is to persevere as a Christian knowing that Jesus’ death for me has secured me a home in heaven. ‘Christ in you’ – believing this, I want to live and experience this every day. I want to look for the difference Christ living in me each moment of the day makes, so that I will know that hope of Glory day by day. Take some time to ponder and understand this incredible blessing for yourself. If I believe this, will I dream bigger as to what God desires for me and for our church?ABOUT THE AUTHORGraham is a member of our Fairfield Evening Congregation.