The Privilege of Suffering
Philippians 1:29 NLT
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
Suffering? Have we found the source of pleasure in suffering for God?
How do we suffer for God?
Well, Matthew 5:10-12 says
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye,when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
It is not secret that there are people out there that hate Christians. People have and will hate us for doing right and for standing up for what is right. For loving the unlovely. Can we look at that and rejoice?
What about the daily struggles we go through as we live for Christ?
Colossians 3:23-24 NLT says Work willing at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remembering that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
Being diligent and working hard is not really a preference for people. We like easy and hard work is not easy. Compound that with the fact that not every one has a boss that they want to work hard for or a job that they feel passionate about. But, if we see that our boss is ultimately the Lord, regardless if our earthly boss appreciates us, and even if we lack passion or vision in our work, we can find meaning in our work because it is for the Lord. And even when no one else appreciates us we know that he does.
Lets look at Jesus as our ultimate example. He definitely sacrificed. He suffered on the cross so that he could save us. This was a great act of love.
John 3:16 and 17:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
I grew up with a different viewpoint of the cross. I would see the cross with a sense of shame, like "look what Jesus had to go through because of you." Now, I see the cross in a completely different way, Jesus' sacrifice and suffering was an expression of love for me and you.
Is there really love without sacrifice? When someone goes out of their way to do something for us and it is difficult, is it not also a greater impression of love. For example, when someone makes you a cake for your birthday from scratch instead of buying it or when someone you love hand knits you a scarf even though it was a long tedious process. Not to say that we don't or shouldn't appreciate the store bought cake or scarf but I think there is a special appreciation when we know that someone took their time and worked hard for us.
In the same way, I think when we suffer it is an expression of love to Jesus. I believe that there will be people in heaven that believed in Jesus but regret that they did not sacrifice their life to Jesus. They are saved but are not willing to suffer. Maybe they have never really even opened their eyes to see the Lord a part of their daily lives - only the eternal.
When we visit the sick, or we pray for the lost and hurting, when we write a school paper, or mop the kitchen floor. We can do it joyfully as an expression of love for Christ. Know that he appreciates you.
Dictionary.com says privilege is an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person.
The way I see it, something is a privilege because it is a benefit that not everyone gets to take advantage of. Let us be among the privileged and offer it all to Christ.
For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
Suffering? Have we found the source of pleasure in suffering for God?
How do we suffer for God?
Well, Matthew 5:10-12 says
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye,when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
It is not secret that there are people out there that hate Christians. People have and will hate us for doing right and for standing up for what is right. For loving the unlovely. Can we look at that and rejoice?
What about the daily struggles we go through as we live for Christ?
Colossians 3:23-24 NLT says Work willing at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remembering that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
Being diligent and working hard is not really a preference for people. We like easy and hard work is not easy. Compound that with the fact that not every one has a boss that they want to work hard for or a job that they feel passionate about. But, if we see that our boss is ultimately the Lord, regardless if our earthly boss appreciates us, and even if we lack passion or vision in our work, we can find meaning in our work because it is for the Lord. And even when no one else appreciates us we know that he does.
Lets look at Jesus as our ultimate example. He definitely sacrificed. He suffered on the cross so that he could save us. This was a great act of love.John 3:16 and 17:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
I grew up with a different viewpoint of the cross. I would see the cross with a sense of shame, like "look what Jesus had to go through because of you." Now, I see the cross in a completely different way, Jesus' sacrifice and suffering was an expression of love for me and you.
Is there really love without sacrifice? When someone goes out of their way to do something for us and it is difficult, is it not also a greater impression of love. For example, when someone makes you a cake for your birthday from scratch instead of buying it or when someone you love hand knits you a scarf even though it was a long tedious process. Not to say that we don't or shouldn't appreciate the store bought cake or scarf but I think there is a special appreciation when we know that someone took their time and worked hard for us.
In the same way, I think when we suffer it is an expression of love to Jesus. I believe that there will be people in heaven that believed in Jesus but regret that they did not sacrifice their life to Jesus. They are saved but are not willing to suffer. Maybe they have never really even opened their eyes to see the Lord a part of their daily lives - only the eternal.
When we visit the sick, or we pray for the lost and hurting, when we write a school paper, or mop the kitchen floor. We can do it joyfully as an expression of love for Christ. Know that he appreciates you.
Dictionary.com says privilege is an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person.
The way I see it, something is a privilege because it is a benefit that not everyone gets to take advantage of. Let us be among the privileged and offer it all to Christ.
Going back to Philippians 1:29, trusting in Jesus is a more obvious pleasure. It brings us peace. We are able to let go of our worries and cast our cares on him because we know he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We know he is willing and able to help us in all that we do.
On the flip side people who are not trusting in Jesus have to rely on themselves. There are a lot of negative side effects to having to trust ourselves. Mistakes are magnified because there is no foundation. People can have an "I have to take care of myself" and "nobody is for me" mindset. And from personal experience I have seen that where faith is absent fear and anxiety abounds.
I pray that you all abound in his faith and abide in his love. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
On the flip side people who are not trusting in Jesus have to rely on themselves. There are a lot of negative side effects to having to trust ourselves. Mistakes are magnified because there is no foundation. People can have an "I have to take care of myself" and "nobody is for me" mindset. And from personal experience I have seen that where faith is absent fear and anxiety abounds.
I pray that you all abound in his faith and abide in his love. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
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