"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5.
Take a moment to chew on that. "More than that, we rejoice in sufferings..." I've read through Romans many times but that verse had never caught my attention before. It reminded me of another verse that I find fascinating- Philippians 1:29, which says, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake..." The use of the word "granted" makes it sound as though this is a desirable, coveted thing, to suffer for Christ.
In light of this, is it strange that my desire this year is to suffer for Christ? I have been pondering it a lot, and while I have no idea what this means or looks like specifically, it is my hope and prayer that in some way I may suffer on His behalf, that I may better understand who He is and become more like Him. And I am confident that I need not worry about seeking/hoping for this, as it says in the verse above, suffering will ultimately produce hope, which "does not put us to shame." And what more do we need to know than that?
Jan 15 2011
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