Granted to Suffer

Philippians 1:29-30 NASB For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

In my hotel room, on a break from schmoozing (my smile hurts) I am reading Philippians. These verses in Philippians caught me today, especially the word "granted." Looked up in the Greek, it is Strongs # 5483: Charizomai. Part of the definition from the Zodhiates Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament includes: To show someone a favor, be kind to. To give or bestow a thing willingly; to be permitted or granted something.

And the word "granted" comes from the word "grace."

So, we, as followers of Christ, are permitted, and shown favor by being able to suffer for His sake.

That's tough to swallow, and yet reluctantly I already see the truth in it. It is the suffering that shapes me, molds me, and sifts me. Without suffering, we'd all be insufferable. (hmmm...that's a good play on words, eh?) We value things more when we work for them, sacrifice for them. We prove what is important to us. And so it must be with our faith. We learn to treasure it through the hard times. And we learn what a treasure it is when we can see the outcomes of God pleasing choices.

Suffering for HIS sake is so much different than suffering for my own stupidity...there must be a strict difference noted there. Suffering for HIS sake denotes making the right choice for the right reason but with undesired consequence.

It's granted. It's a gift. It's part of His grace.

And so perhaps my acceptance of the suffering can include a measure of pleasure - pleased that I am indeed called, and that with that call comes the inevitable. It's almost a badge of honor. A proof.

Which reminds me of one of the toughest verses in the Bible: Hebrews 5:8. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

If Christ had to suffer, and Paul had to suffer, then I am in very good company in the suffering which occurs in my life for His sake. Seeing commitments through, removing myself from certain situations, saying tough truth, not participating in "social sin," ...these are examples of choosing for His sake to suffer the loss of passing pleasure, or the loss of relationship. To be set apart in order to glorify His name, a name to which I am associated as a Christian. And while I have not been stoned or shipwrecked, and certainly not bound and crucified, the small choices granted to me are to test my choice to glorify Christ in my actions. Once in a while there is victory over the flesh, and then...I grow. And actually, as I mature in Him, as well as in years, the choices become clearer, and the victories more frequent.

Opportunities for this growth have been granted to me. To prove to myself, perhaps, what my faith is made of.