Bible Verse of The Day – 4-10-20

Philippians 1:29 (NKJV) 29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Wow! Did you see what that says?

It has been granted on behalf of Christ that we would suffer for His sake.

This is a pretty heavy message for us to take in.

So much of what we hear revolves around good stuff; God’s grace and mercy, Joy in the Lord, Enjoying His benefits, etc.

We don’t often hear about suffering for Christ.

But suffering for Christ is a reality. That’s 100% truth.

The thing is that we often view this incorrectly, as though suffering is a curse, or some kind of punishment. It’s not either of those, though. So let’s take a look.

First, notice that it says that it has been “granted” for us to suffer. Understanding why that word was used will completely change our perspective when it comes to suffering for Christ.

If something is granted to someone, it typically means that it is given to them, sometimes even as a gift of some sort.

Even further, if we look at the original Greek text, the word used here was originally the Greek noun for grace.

So, suffering for Christ is a gift of grace, which ultimately brings us power. That power comes by way of learning to endure suffering, and understanding that it will ultimately lead to eternal rewards.

And finally, we need to be sure to understand that all human suffering is not the same as suffering for Christ.

For example, being a Christian and suffering with a disease, or suffering from a chronic back injury, or something similar, isn’t suffering for Christ just because we are a believer. This is something that has been terribly misunderstood by many people for centuries, so we wanted to try to clear that up and dispel this incorrect belief.

And with that, we leave you with this verse.

1 Peter 4:13 (NKJV) 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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