suffering

You have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him.

Philippians 1:29



Paul wrote this warm & faith filled letter to his friends in the church at Philippi while he was in prison.

Remember that prison back then was hardly a Club Med experience.

But Paul used it to make connections with people, including the palace guards who were imprisoning him - connections he used to share with people about Jesus & the new life He can bring them.

We won't know until we get to heaven the full extent of the ripple effect of his life & love for Jesus in those prison days.

The church in Philippi was under attack - people didn't like them, want them, & some were afraid of them. So the Christ followers in Philippi were having it hard.

And Paul tells them it is a privilege to suffer for being Jesus' followers.


And it's as equally true now as it was then...


Sometimes we go through tough times simply because we're being obedient followers of Jesus.

I know this is an uncomfortable thought for most Christians in America.

     we have such a success orientation to what we consider a "blessed" life of servanthood,

     while erroneously equating the American Dream as an obvious fruit / favor evidence of our lives of discipleship.

But sometimes we are called upon to be salt & light in what can be called very, VERY difficult situations.

Sometimes how we handle the hard stuff of life has more impact & influence on the people around us than by being constantly "blessed & highly favored".


We seem to have it backwards sometimes.

We think that our lives should always be "blessed & highly favored" like the "stars of the show" we read about in the Bible.

Maybe we should look upon those people as something of an exception.

Maybe we should realize that, for the most part, the overwhelming majority of Christ followers don't live glittering examples of all that's good & pure in the world.

Maybe we should accept the reality that most of us live lives in the trenches, slogging it out every day, simply trying to love as Jesus loves & be salt & light in whatever situation we find ourselves.

For that is where most of us find ourselves - living our lives in ordinary days in ordinary ways, loving stubborn, self-centered, sinful people the Lord brings through our lives.

Perhaps we should identify with the fact that most of life is lived being light in a world that can be very dark with our own sinfulness as well as the sinfulness of all those around us.

Perhaps we should quit thinking we're the next Billy Graham, Christ Tomlin, Kari Jobe, & Beth Moore, & focus more on being ourselves & reaching out to the desperately lonely people who surround us ALL THE TIME & simply love & connect with them in small ways.

While at the same time knowing that a lot of the people we try to love for Jesus won't respond, & many will be openly hostile.


Remember that Jesus didn't go around doing stupendous miracles all the time.

He just connected with people, zeroed in His attention on them in the brief moments in which he had direct contact with them, & in truth, changed their lives through those brief connections.



Whew! I'm not sure where all that came from! I hope it made sense! ;-)