“And if
children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Kingdom people are not normal people with a religious preference; they
are radically principled participants in a high commitment endeavor. The stakes are high
for our Lord expects... yes demands, everything -- every inch of ground in our
heart -- and won’t relent till we submit to His Lordship. The things we endure
should remind us of the horrendous price our Savior paid to free us from enslavement
to this life in this world: Should remind us of our need for God, and His
promise never to leave us forsaken.
Suffering is not a virtue we pursue but a reality that pursues all who
“will to do His will” – all who submit to His Lordship in the Crucified-Life –
all who willfully carry the transforming mantle of His nature on the long walks
to Golgotha: “For to you it has been
granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Christian suffering can be defined as
anything bad that God uses to encourage the willful death of Self, the fleshly
carnal nature all people are born with, the Self imposed ruler of one’s heart. And suffering is a divine opportunity for joy:
“Count it all joy when you fall
into various trials.” Suffering produces patience, Godly character -- the very nature
of Christ -- and hope as we “learn obedience through the things we suffer.” If God is our greatest pleasure, then
suffering for Him becomes our greatest joy.
Many in the body of Christ have succumbed to half-truths that sooth our “itching ears” with melodies of health and wealth entitlements. But these and many other scriptures carry a different tune, one we don’t often hum. C.S. Lewis understood Christian suffering, what he called “Pain”: “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Notice the caveat to being heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: “If indeed we suffer with Him (Christ), that we may also be glorified together.” This is a big “IF” linking our glorification – the redemption of our body when Christ returns – our adoption as children of God – with our suffering with Christ. Twenty-first century Christianity is dancing to the wrong tune…
IF INDEED WE SUFFER WITH HIM…
(Rom.
8:17, 23; Phil. 1:29; James 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3-5; Heb. 5:8)
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