There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting.  Philippians 1:29 (The Message) 

Those words slapped me in the face this morning. I have no idea how many times I have read them before. But, today is the first time they really hit me. I know I have read that verse from The Message before, but today, those words stuck out like they were written on a billboard.

These words, for most of us, probably fall in the category of "WHY does that have to be in the Bible" or "Those words really don't apply to me."

Though I am not a New Testament scholar, I know enough to know that for Paul, those were more than just words. He LIVED those words. His life was about suffering for Christ. And he counted that a privilege.

Do I really want to suffer for Christ? And what does that mean today? Certainly it does not mean I will suffer the same way Paul did. But I think following Christ does come with a cost. Being his disciple means I will actively and consciously make choices that honor Jesus. It means I will choose the path of serving others rather than looking out for myself. It means I will practice the way of love Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians. 13:

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end.

(Check back with me in say 75 years, and I will let you know how I am doing on those. I really want to be the person those verses describe, but that is a TALL order!)

So, I am asking myself today if I am going to accept the gift of suffering as readily as I accept the gift of trusting? How is Christ calling me to suffer for him?

How about you? Are you willing to suffer for Christ as well as trust him?