Discipling Life

Have you ever felt misunderstood or abandoned during a difficult season? Psalm 69:7-18 gives voice to the pain of someone who feels rejected, isolated, and overwhelmed. The psalmist speaks of insults, shame, and tears. Yet even in the middle of suffering, he turns toward God rather than away from him. He prays, “Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me” (v. 16). These words remind us that faith does not require pretending everything is fine. God welcomes honest prayers. We can bring our grief, our questions, and our disappointments before him, trusting that his love remains steadfast even when life feels uncertain. There are seasons when following God can leave us feeling lonely or misunderstood. The psalmist experienced that reality, and many believers have as well. Yet suffering does not mean that God has abandoned us. His grace continues to work within us, shaping holy hearts that learn to trust him more deeply. As we respon...

In Epistle to the Colossians 1:24, Paul writes one of his most challenging and easily misunderstood statements: “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” At first glance, it can sound as though Paul is saying Christ’s suffering on the cross was somehow incomplete. But throughout his letters, Paul consistently teaches that Christ’s saving work is fully sufficient. Just a few verses earlier, Paul says that through Christ, God was pleased “to reconcile to himself all things” through the blood of the cross (v. 20). So Paul cannot mean that Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was lacking in saving power. Instead, Paul is speaking about the ongoing suffering connected to the mission of Christ in the world. Christ’s redemptive work is complete, but the church continues to carry the message of the gospel into a broken world, and that mission often involves hardship, sacrifi...