For August 27, 2026
The Bittersweet Fruit Of Labor by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
ALL OF THOSE who have been possessed by Christ can identify with the passion that Paul expresses: “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” (Col. 1:29) This ‘God-disease’ captivates the mind, permeates heart and soul, and drives the will to acts both implausible and seemingly impossible—Paul’s feats recorded in the NT seem at times superhuman to us, as in fact they are; it is clear from both his and Luke’s writing that he never wavers from accrediting the basis for his years of missionary endeavor to the spirit of Jesus, ‘which works so powerfully in me.’ Paul’s motivation is pure and his testimony to Jesus faultless, and it is this singular characteristic of him that we might all both note and emulate to and for good effect, and for the effect of good. And the good of which Paul speaks of so continuously is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ: “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15, Matt. 3:2) For Paul, this has become an undeniable reality which shapes and drives all his actions. “This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” (Col. 1:23)