Text: “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).
If we believe in someone or in something, we tend to place a great trust in the person or the thing. That person becomes a good friend or associate and we would go out of our way to do whatever to help that friend. Think for a moment about members of your own family. Think of the times you went the second mile for one of the members.
Those of us who have raised children know the importance of training and guiding the child in the right direction. Remember their infancy when they were sick, but could not tell us where it hurt or how they felt. We felt the hurt just as they did.
Whenever our spouse had a problem or didn’t feel good we felt the hurt right along with them. We believed in these people, we trusted them because they were a part of us. When they suffered, we suffered. In other words, we did partake of their suffering.
Paul believed in Christ and was very dedicated to preaching His word. He faced many storms and tribulations in his life.
Paul said, “Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.
“In my travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from fellow Jews and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends.
“There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing” (2 Corinthians 11:25-27).
I venture to say that none of us has had to suffer any of these things or these many times. Yes, we have all had some difficult times and may have thought we would not survive. Perhaps we thought we were being punished when we should have given God praise and thanks for bringing us into a closer and dependent relationship with Him.
When difficulties come our way we need to thank God for the challenge which is an opportunity to glorify His name. He is trying to teach us that all things happen for good. There is a lesson to be learned from every trial we face. Everything that happens to us is followed by a blessing from God. Many times we forget to thank Him for these blessings. Listen to this little story of thanks.
Story: “The Only One in Thirty-Five Years”
A soldier in the American Third Army was sent to a rest camp after a period of active service. When he returned to his outfit, he wrote a letter to General George Patton and thanked him for the splendid care he had received.
General Patton wrote back that for thirty-five years he had sought to give all the comfort and convenience he could to his men, and added that this was the first letter of thanks he had received in all his years in the Army.
There are few points at which human nature is more lacking than in lack of gratitude. Parents must constantly say to children who have received some gift, “Now what do you say?” As we grow older we become hardened to the good things of life and do not think of thanking God who is the giver of “every good gift and every perfect gift.”
The best rule is the one given by Paul, “In every thing give thanks,” and especially “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
----------------------Essex
We don’t consider suffering as a privilege. We don’t like to suffer. We don’t believe there is anything positive in suffering. Paul had just the opposite view. He considered his suffering a privilege because he was suffering for Christ.
You might wonder why Paul was suffering. The answer is He was suffering for his faith. These were the very early day of Christianity. Many of the Jews did not accept the fact Jesus was God incarnate. They did not believe He was the Son of God the Father.
They refused to believe Jesus was the Person Isaiah referred to when he talked about the One who would be despised and rejected, the Man of sorrows, the One wounded for our transgressions, the One who would bear the sins of many and the One who would make intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53).
Once Paul saw the Light he was a believer. He listened when God spoke to him and he followed God’s directions. He was never afraid to face trials and tribulations because he knew his suffering was for a just cause. Paul was willing to give all he had which included his life.
His strong faith brought him through the many valleys of suffering. He desired the same faith for others and that is the reason he continued to preach the Word regardless of what might happen to him or what circumstances he might have to endure.
In his letter to the Philippians he said, “For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive” (Philippians 1:21-24).
Paul based his life on eternal values and not worldly possessions. How many people do that today? Most people are more interested in things like: money, pleasure, houses, cars, jobs that give them a sense of power, entertainment, and a host of other things.
Paul knew none of these things were more important than living an earthly life according to the Word of God. He wanted to live as Christ lived. He wanted to be as much like Christ as possible. Paul wanted this for all God’s people. You and I need to follow in Paul’s footsteps who followed in Jesus’ footsteps.
Paul considered suffering a privilege because he was suffering for Christ who suffered for each one of us. He believed in Christ and he was willing to partake of the suffering associated with Jesus.
Jesus tried to get the people to come to Him, believe in Him and trust in Him because He is the Bread of Life and He is the Fountain they could drink from and never thirst. He is still doing this today. His Word is calling forth this very relevant message, yet many people are not listening or if they hear, they are not believing and trusting.
Jesus performed many signs or miracles, but for some reason it was difficult for people to understand His mission and who He really was. He explained His mission when He said, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6:39).
Jesus was telling the people that He did not come on His own, but He came because God the Father sent Him. God created mankind and wanted each person to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom. Jesus told the people that He came that no one would be lost. He said, “….that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing” (v 39).
In other words, if people would only believe in Him, they could have everlasting life. Jesus said, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (v. 40).
Jesus was asking for a sincere commitment from the people which would assure them of eternal life in the Father’s kingdom. The plan was very simple. The language Jesus used was very plain, but some of the people could not see past the fact that Jesus was Joseph’s son.
This very thing is happening today. We are an educated literate society and we have history at our finger-tips, but many people still do not understand that without Jesus they are lost. They are just like the multitudes in Jesus’ day, they refuse to believe in and trust Jesus. They don’t take the “words in red” to heart.
To many, Jesus is just the name of someone who probably lived a long time ago. God’s Word is just a collection of stories written a long time ago and they are not relevant today. The Bible is just a book that is very difficult to understand and contains names and words that are difficult to pronounce.
When Jesus said to the multitude, “I am the bread which came down from heaven” (v. 41), the people respond saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (v.42). If we had been in the multitude, would we have said the same thing? We most likely would have gone along with the crowd.
Jesus was rejected by the multitude and particularly by the Jewish religious leaders because they could not accept the fact He claimed to the Son of God. Since the religious leaders were looked up-to and respected by the majority of people, it is easy to understand their misunderstanding. When we place our faith in people instead of the Word of God, we are heading down the wrong road. Disaster will come at the least expected time.
Jesus knew the murmuring that was going on among the people. He said to them, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (v. 44). Those who listened to Him, believed Him, and trusted Him were listening to, believing, and trusting the Father because they are One.
God is the one who prompts us to choose where we will spend eternity. When a person decides to accept the Lord as their own personal Lord and Savior, they were prompted to do so because of the Holy Spirit. God, in the Person of the Holy Spirit speaking to our heart giving us the opportunity to believe and accept the call of salvation and spend eternity in His kingdom or reject the call and be lost for eternity. We determine our destiny.
Story: “The Road to Safety”
A news correspondent, forced to jump from a crippled plane over New Guinea, landed safely. He sought a way out of the jungle. Up mountains, down the rivers, through the thick jungle growth he traveled, only to return discouraged to his starting point.
Day by day, week by week, he took one way after another – but there was no road. At last he suddenly came upon a break in the tall grass where apparently some animal had passed. Following the break he found himself on a narrow road! What joy! Later he was found by missionaries and taken to a hospital and the safety of civilization.
Think what that road meant to that correspondent! Just that does the Word of God mean to man as he wanders through the wilderness of a sinful life. Seeking his own ways by himself, he constantly returns to his starting point – still lost, without hope, unable to find the way to eternal life.
How good it is to know that there was One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
------------------D. J. Evans in Open Windows
Jesus is not only “the way, the truth, and the life” but He is also the bread from heaven. He was sent out of love by the Father who desires that we spend eternity with Him. He is more than bread for our physical bodies; He is bread for our souls.
He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (v. 51).
Sometimes people get hung up on the words “….the bread I shall give is My flesh….” They think literally or worldly and do not understand. Jesus is talking about accepting Him into our lives making Him a part of us.
We become a part of Jesus when we realize our sinful nature. Then we repent of our sins and invite Him to come and live within our heart. We believe that God so loved the world that He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins by the suffering and shedding of His blood upon the old rugged cross.
We accept the fact Jesus died upon that cross and was buried but on the third day the resurrection occurred. When we believe these things and we commit to living a life devoted to Him, trusting in Him, being obedient to His Word, and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all we do, we have formed a union or relationship that guarantees us a place for eternity within His kingdom.
We have a Savior who suffered for all mankind. It is true that each one of us has faced and will probably face more trials and tribulation in life and we will suffer in some way, but let us consider this suffering worthy because it will humble us and remind us of our dependence upon God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Amen.
