About the willingness to be a suffering servant…
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen
instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the
people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
(NIV)
Just because God calls you does not mean you will be healed or you will have
an easy time in your life. In truth, the facts are that in the lives of most
people called by Christ, there will be hardship, suffering, and the need to
sacrifice for Christ and sacrifice for His work on earth. This does not mean we
are to invite suffering or persecution upon ourselves. In fact, we are to
minimize suffering in order to be more effective servants. However, most likely
in your life, persecution of some kind or another will come with service to
Christ. Persecution by Satan can take many forms. Persecution may come in the
form of other people rejecting you. Persecution may come in the form of
physical, mental, or emotional pain put upon you by Satan. Worst of all,
persecution may come upon you by all manner of suffering from a cause that seems
to be unknown. However, the point is not the suffering, not the persecution, and
not the cause of the suffering or persecution. The point is the service. The
point of every person's life should be whether the person served God, loved God,
and loved others with all their heart, all their might, and all their soul. As
long as we are willing to suffer and serve, we will be given a reward in Heaven.
