To you it has been granted...

Philippians 1:29 - "For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake."

Is the idea that God would grant us "to suffer for His sake" foreign to us? Do we not think that suffering is a sign that something is wrong and needs to be fixed? It is as clear as can be here: Suffering for Jesus' sake is a gift from God. We must think about the Christian life in ways that include this idea. And we must be prepared for future suffering, so that when it comes, we can see it as a gift from God, and we can rejoice the way Paul did. How can we prepare for suffering? One way is to read the Bible and to take it seriously - especially the promises that God has made about the future and the benefits that will come to those who suffer for Jesus' sake. Perhaps then we will be able to believe that it really is a blessing to be able "to suffer for His sake."