Colossians 1:29
“Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →To this end Paul labors and strives, drawing on the power of Christ that works mightily within him.
What Does Colossians 1:29 Mean?
Paul closes the chapter by describing the effort behind his ministry. The words are strenuous -- labour and striving, the language of hard toil and even athletic struggle. Bringing people to maturity costs him everything.
Yet the strength is not his own. He strives according to his working, which worketh in me mightily -- it is Christ's power surging through Paul's exertion. Here human effort and divine power are not rivals but partners: Paul works hard precisely because God works powerfully in him. This is the rhythm of faithful service. The Colossians are not to imagine that spiritual fruit comes by passivity, nor by mere willpower, but by laboring within the strength God supplies. Paul's tireless ministry is finally a display of Christ's might at work -- the same Christ who, by his power, will bring them too to maturity.
In the Original Language
Energeo (ἐνεργέω), 'work' -- to be at work effectively, to operate with power; the root of our word energy.