Necessary Suffering
November 3, 2015
1 Peter 4:1 “So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too.”
I wonder if one of the reasons many Christians struggle to grow spiritually is because we do not expect to suffer. In fact, we do everything we can to avoid it. Most of us are willing to serve…as long as it doesn’t interfere too much with my schedule. Most of us are willing to help others…as long as it doesn’t require me to sacrifice. We seem to assume that we should not have to bear any heavy burdens. We seem to assume that God would never want us to struggle or suffer for the sake of others. A couple of disclaimers before we move on (1) I am not advocating we work ourselves to death, and (2) I am not saying we should seek out pain and suffering for the sake of being spiritual. With that said, I rarely see God call someone to a life of comfort and ease in the Bible. I’m still looking (because I really want to find it), but it’s not there. God’s calling typically requires people to leave their comfort zone, and it usually includes trials of some sort. The early church did not seek out pain and persecution. However, their view of suffering was much different than ours. They rejoiced when they suffered for the cause of Christ. They even counted suffering as a privilege! Maybe they understood something we don’t. Maybe suffering brings us closer to Christ in ways that are not possible otherwise. Don’t get me wrong; it is not a sin to own a couch or to go on a vacation. However, in our culture we need to be careful that comfort and ease do not become our main priorities. We need to be careful to heed God’s call even if it requires suffering…because it probably will.
I wonder if one of the reasons many Christians struggle to grow spiritually is because we do not expect to suffer. In fact, we do everything we can to avoid it. Most of us are willing to serve…as long as it doesn’t interfere too much with my schedule. Most of us are willing to help others…as long as it doesn’t require me to sacrifice. We seem to assume that we should not have to bear any heavy burdens. We seem to assume that God would never want us to struggle or suffer for the sake of others. A couple of disclaimers before we move on (1) I am not advocating we work ourselves to death, and (2) I am not saying we should seek out pain and suffering for the sake of being spiritual. With that said, I rarely see God call someone to a life of comfort and ease in the Bible. I’m still looking (because I really want to find it), but it’s not there. God’s calling typically requires people to leave their comfort zone, and it usually includes trials of some sort. The early church did not seek out pain and persecution. However, their view of suffering was much different than ours. They rejoiced when they suffered for the cause of Christ. They even counted suffering as a privilege! Maybe they understood something we don’t. Maybe suffering brings us closer to Christ in ways that are not possible otherwise. Don’t get me wrong; it is not a sin to own a couch or to go on a vacation. However, in our culture we need to be careful that comfort and ease do not become our main priorities. We need to be careful to heed God’s call even if it requires suffering…because it probably will.