The RefineryBiblical Focus: The Life That Is Coming
Colossians 3:3–4 (NLT)
For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
At the very beginning of this year, we described SHAWL as "a life hidden in Christ, a life wrapped in His presence." Today we return to the verse behind those words.
Paul puts it simply. You died. Your real life is hidden with Christ. And one day, it will be revealed in glory.
This is the whole story of transformation. The caterpillar dies to its old life. It enters the chrysalis, hidden and unseen, where the real transformation takes place. And then, when the time is right, it emerges into a life it could never have imagined.
In June you died to self. Through the summer and fall you were hidden: broken, united, stilled, silenced. This month you have watched the new creature begin to take shape. But notice: Paul says your real life is still hidden. Much of what God is doing in you is not yet visible, even to you. Don't judge the work by what you can see.
And notice the phrase "Christ, who is your life." Not part of your life. Not the most important part. Your life. This is the end of transformation: not a better self, but a life so fully wrapped in Christ that it is impossible to tell where you end and He begins.
Tomorrow we enter December, the final month of the year: Rest. The striving is finished. Having been transformed, we will learn to cease from our labors and enter the finished work of Christ. For now, take a deep breath. Look back over this year with gratitude. The Refiner has been faithful. And He is not finished yet.
The Practice of Transformation
Write a short letter to God reflecting on your year: where you began, how He has changed you, and what you are trusting Him to finish. Keep it. Read it again on the first day of next year.
✦ Reflection ✦
What is God doing in you that is still hidden, even from you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are my life. Hide me in You. Finish Your work, and wrap me fully in Your presence. Amen.
Your real life is hidden with Christ, and it is coming.
Help Choose Our 2027 Devotional
As this year of Wrapped in His Presence comes to a close, we're praying about where the Lord is leading us next, and I'd love your help deciding. There are three possible journeys for 2027:
- Refined: The Refiner's Fire (Malachi 3:2–3)
- Abiding Fruit: From Presence to Overflow (Galatians 5:22–23)
- Wounded to Carry: The Ministry of Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Please pray over them, then vote here for the one that stirs your spirit.