Have you ever been asked to keep a secret?
When our oldest was about three she was helping me wrap some birthday presents for Dave. I told her it was a secret and she couldn’t tell “Daddy” what we had gotten him. Then we took the presents and put them in the hall closet for safe keeping.
Dave came home from work that evening and as he approached the little closet Kim threw herself against the door and frantically said “No Daddy, you can’t look in the door. It’s a secret!”
Dave and I both had a good laugh and needless to say, he opened his presents that night at dinner instead of the next day.
Some secrets are just too good to keep!
For years prophets had told of a coming Messiah, a Savior, but people ignored the message. Then Jesus arrived and he preached the message of restoration and forgiveness for all. He wanted everyone to know that the Father was lovingly reaching out to the world. They heard His message but they were angered by it and they crucified Him.
“We speak of God’s hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. 8 The rulers of this world didn’t know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross…10 God’s Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God.” I Corinthians 2:7- 10 CEV
After Jesus’ death and resurrection the secret was out!
Everywhere people were believing this message that Christ died to bring, “God loves and forgives sinners. He has a plan for them to have a new and abundant life”. This was the message that Paul was bringing to the Colossians and to us.
“God’s plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. 27 God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.
28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature. 29 That’s why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.” Colossians 1:25-29 CEV
The mystery, the secret, is this: “Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory”.
Christ lives in me, in us! What a secret – it has to be shared.
What could the day present that Jesus couldn’t conquer? What problem could we have that Christ couldn’t solve?
Paul had been stoned, beaten, imprisoned and ostracized for preaching this message but that didn’t stop him because he knew that Christ lived in him and was strengthening him in every situation.
The secret’s out – we have been made right with God and He has given us abundant life!