Before you discount this title as one you are not interested in, keep reading and I think you will understand what a privilege it is to suffer for the right reasons. To be privileged is to have a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. As a Christian, I am in a special group aligned with Christ. Being a Christian affords me many special rights and advantages. I have the right to go directly to God in prayer. I don’t need to petition God through another person, no priest, preacher, or other communicators are needed. When Jesus died on the cross for my sins the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. This veil separated the people from the Holy of Holies, where God made himself known to the High Priest once a year. Only the High Priest could enter and seek atonement for God’s people. When the veil was torn it represented our ability to go straight to God ourselves through Jesus who has become our mediator. Because of Jesus’ suffering, we can be forgiven, and we are granted the privilege of access to the Father.
There is also a joy that comes from suffering for Christ. First, you must understand that the joy I am talking about is not an outward overflowing of laughter. It is the emotion that is deep within us that finds peace and contentment in honoring Christ. In Philippians 1:29, Paul speaks of suffering for the sake of Christ. To know that you have done something, even suffering, on behalf of Christ should bring joy to your soul.
Philippians 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”
Suffering also identifies you with Christ. No one ever suffered as He did. He was murdered unjustly, separated from the Father, mocked, and ridiculed for doing right, and all because He loved us. If we suffer from our own doing it does not identify us with Christ but with sin, but when we suffer for doing right, we are stepping into another realm of our Christian faith that links us with Jesus.
Our suffering for Christ can be valuable to others. When we suffer for the cause of Christ, we are showing them the value of our faith. It will show them how much He means to us because of what we are willing to endure. It may cause an unbeliever to want to know the source of our strength. It may cause the Christian to be encouraged, to know that they too can get through the trials and sufferings of this life, because of the example we set. God receives glory when we allow others to see His strength in our weaknesses. Any way that we can allow others to see Christ should be counted as a privilege.
Philippians 1:29 starts with “unto you is given.” God is giving us the privilege of suffering on behalf of Christ. We may not like it, but we need to understand it is a God given opportunity!
Yes, suffering is a privilege. It is the negative that makes things positive. It is through Jesus suffering we gain access to God the Father. It gives us a joy that can’t be experienced any other way. It identifies us with Jesus, encourages other believers, and makes the unbeliever question us. When we suffer it should cause us to depend on God in a greater way. I love what Paul says about our suffering in Romans 8:17-18. If we suffer with Him one day, we will be glorified with Him. For those who suffer for Him, the glory to come will be so magnificent that it will not compare to the sufferings of this world!
Romans 8:17-18 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ”
