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Scripture: Philippians 1.27-30 (NLT)
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
Comments
When a child, my friends came to my home to celebrate my birthday. We gathered around the kitchen table. I began opening gifts, finding something new in each package. I came to a small box and thought it might be expensive, for I associated such with small packages. The gift was not expensive and not new. My friend had given me a toy car. I thanked him. Inwardly, however, I was upset. I wondered why he did not invest effort to get me something new. Years later in adulthood, I came to realize he possibly gave me the best gift of all that day, something so special to him that he wanted me to have it. My response mirrors how selective we can be in estimation of what is a worthy or unworthy gift.
When we think of God's grace, we likely think of blessings. By blessings we mean gifts that make us feel good. We esteem those graces highly. Paul reminds the Philippians, however, God has given us the gift of suffering for Christ (v. 29).
Why would a loving God grace us with suffering? The French priest Francois de Fenelon (1651-1715) asked the question. He found it hard to believe a loving God would let us suffer and admits God could keep us from it. But we must suffer, concludes de Fenelon, to learn humbleness and trust in God. And "suffering can help us loosen some knots that tie us to earth."
We are "to live as citizens of heaven" (v. 27, NLT). When we allow suffering to be for Christ’s honor, the Holy Spirit uses it to transform pride into humbleness and doubt into faith. Suffering leads to a deeper communion with Christians who, likewise, offer their sufferings for Christ. We become more receptive to grace enabling us to live as citizens of heaven, rather than enamored by temporal things.
Prayer:Holy Spirit, I commit whatever suffering of body, mind, or spirit that I endure to Christ's honor and purpose. Use suffering to lessen my pride and increase my love, to diminish my fascination with temporal things and expand my joy in things eternal. Amen.
*OneLife writings are offered by Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist pastor serving in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He writes in the spirit of John Wesley's focus on the priority of inner experience of the Triune God; scriptural holiness; ongoing sanctification; the goal of Christian perfection (or, wholeness). Brian seeks to integrate the best of the contemplative teachings of Christianity East and West, from the patristic Church to the present. Brian lives a vowed contemplative life with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, in North Florida. OneLife writings are for anyone seeking to live and share love, joy, and peace in the world and in devotion to God as she or he best understands God.
*Brian's book An Ache for Union, a book of poems on mystical union with God through love, can be ordered through major on-line booksellers.
The Grace of Christ be with All!
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