Colossians 1:5 – love because of the expectation

… and the love which you have for all the saints because of the expectation reserved for you in the heavens…

Paul had heard how the Good News of the Grace of God was received in Colosse (1: 6). He constantly thanked for that (1: 3) and also for the love that was there with among them. But pay particular attention to the motive of that mutual love. That love was there because of the hope that was reserved for them in the heavens.

In the world, loving is mainly based on the past. On what someone else has done or not. One views and assesses the other through the glasses of what they have experienced and experiences now. But how different was it with the Colossians that Paul writes! They were wearing glasses for the future and they looked at each other through those. They saw each other in the glory that would later be definitively theirs. Perfect! With that in mind, it is so much easier to tolerate each other’s imperfections of this moment.

Such hope truly brings life. And love. It is a happy hope for the future and therefore a source of love for today. Not burdened by the past, but enlightened by the future!

Delen: