Bible Passage: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Men are builders. We want what we create to last.
Sometimes, underneath that drive, is a fear:
What if nothing I do matters? What if everything I give myself to amounts to an anthill at the foot of Everest?
It’s not an unfounded fear. Careers end. Bodies fail. Legacies and names are forgotten within a few generations.
So far, no man has built something that has lasted forever. Ecclesiastes called it, “Vanity of vanities…chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11).
But there is something that lasts. Something that is impervious to erosion of time and the failure of memory.
Paul’s words stretch forward into the time of God’s fully realized Kingdom.
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:3-4 NIV).
Hidden with Christ in God. Beautiful.
But what does it mean?
We’re dead, but our lives are hidden, and we’ll appear in glory. What is most real about us, the man that God made and sustains, our eternal identity is safe in the most secure place in the universe. Our reality is not in our portfolio. Not in our reputation. Not in our descendants’ memories of us.
Our real self is with God Himself, through Christ.
This is not escapism. Paul is not saying that the only important things are the heavenly ones, that the future is the focus of the present, or even that the future is the only thing that gives the present any meaning or value. Paul isn’t telling men to stop building or stop caring.
He’s telling us where to anchor.
A man who knows his life is securely with Christ can work hard without being preoccupied, distracted, and narrowly focused on successful outcomes.
The man who knows he is safe can invest in his family for their sake, not his own validation. He can face failure, loss, uncertainty, or even obscurity without being shaken. What matters most cannot be lost.
That’s not all. A glorious day is coming. When Christ appears, you will appear with Him.
Hidden is temporary. The glory is not.
Build well. But build as a man who knows where his life actually resides.
Prayer: God, thank You for the security that comes from belonging to You. I confess that sometimes my focus narrows to the here and now, and I forget that my life is not over when my body gives up. Help me to embrace the security that comes from being held in You by living my current days focused on the work of Your Kingdom. Amen.
Reflection: What are you trying to build in your life? What is it for? What could change if you felt securely held by God?
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