Join with Me

Join with Me

Join with me in suffering for the gospel, 2 Timothy 1:8

This is an unusual invitation, to say the least. I mean, I’m used to getting invitations—to Christmas parties, graduation ceremonies and weddings. I like getting those kind of invitations.

I’m not so sure about this one: Hey, come suffer with me.  Uh, is there a decline button on this evite? I don’t think I can go. Or want to.

But Paul didn’t shy away from suffering, and he didn’t shy away from encouraging us to pursue it with him. It seems that he found something very valuable in those moments or seasons of discomfort, especially when they were for the sake of the Gospel.

What’s the good of suffering? Well, besides humbling us, giving us perspective, teaching us desperation and dependency, increasing our compassion, strengthening our resolve, expanding our patience, making us more teachable, adding to our rewards in heaven and giving us greater intimacy with Jesus, I can’t think of much.

Suffering, it seems, is part of spiritual development. It’s part of discipleship.

This is an area where our cozy Western lifestyles don’t serve us well; stated more precisely, the way we live may actually be hindering our spiritual development.

Our culture says that suffering is to be avoided at all costs. There’s nothing mentioned about suffering in our inalienable right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. We view suffering as a curse, a blight on humanity, and something we should go to any length to avoid.

But in the Bible’s reality, suffering is a gift. It’s a blessing. It’s something Paul said he wanted to be part of his life (see Philippians 3:10). For only in suffering will we discover the kind of growth, love and intimacy with the Savior that God desires for us to have.

So, here’s the question: are you willing to accept this invitation? Are you willing to give God permission to do whatever necessary so that you can be more like him? Friends, we have all eternity to live in the comfort and protection of Jesus. This is not that time.

Oh Lord, we accept your invitation . . . . .

 

*Want to know more about how this topic? I write at length about it in my book Enough: Finding More by Living with Less.