In the range of 5-7 verses of the Letter to the Colossians we are given significant insight as to the emotions of the Apostle Paul.
He is burdened and therefore exhausted for the maturity of believers (1.29), he is agonizing for their continued growth and assurance (2.1-3), and then he in verse 5 finds himself singing songs of delight for the evidence of these believers’ faithfulness.
Let me ask you, what do you exhaust yourself for?
What do you agonize over?
What makes you sing?
Do you look for and rejoice in the work of God in the lives of believers?
Time and emotions are given by God and are therefore stewardships of which we will give an account. As followers of Christ, both our time and our emotions are to be expended upon the relentless and glorious privilege of proclaiming Christ.
You can come to no other conclusion than this: Paul knew this glorious Jesus that he describes in such an unparalleled manner in chapter 1 and here in chapter 2. He knew him. He had fellowship with him.
It is the reality of who Christ is and what he has done served to birth and sustains his radical Christ-centeredness.
Let me put it another way, to the extent that we are unfaithful stewards of the gift of time and emotions we are not seeing and savoring the glorious Christ. We are missing him.
And it is here again that we find welcome correction from quick observations from the theologically informed walk of Paul the Apostle. His Christology, or understanding of Christ, affected how he lived his life. This is truly good for all who’s ambition is to be pleasing to Christ (2 Cor. 5.8)