Rejoicing in Inner Sufferings

Neville's Inner Vision

Paul's joy in sufferings is a revelation: the 'afflictions of Christ' are inner movements within your own consciousness. When he says he rejoices for you, he invites you to see that your trials are not punishment but a refining fire of the I AM, clearing the channels of the inner church—the collective consciousness of your true being. The phrase 'fill up that which is behind' means you complete what the pattern of consciousness began in Christ by sustaining a steady, loving assumption under pressure. You, too, are made a minister, a custodian of the dispensation of God within you, charged to fulfil the Word of God by aligning feeling, thought, and image with your desired state. The Word does not go out there; it is fulfilled in here, within the temple of your own heart. So choose now to identify with the completed state you seek, and let the inner ministry do its work, turning every perceived defect into a stepping-stone toward wholeness.