Suffering for Him.

Philippians 1:29
29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

This is one of those hard concepts to wrap your mind around. Suffering. We see it everyday. We're either facing a fairly challenging time or we can see the pain of others on their faces. So then, how is it a privilege? It's not, unless it's for Jesus. Remember, how the other day I said that we need to do things for the glory of God. Sometimes, whatever we're called to do isn't going to be easy. It's going to take some effort and you may get "scraped up," so to speak.

Also, don't forget about the disciples. They were joyful only because they were willing to suffer for the name of Christ. The important thing here is that Jesus suffered for us so that we can be saved from destruction on earth.

When we suffer for the kingdom of God, it's definitely an inspiration for others to live faithfully. It provides a true revelation of character. Incredibly, because of Jesus Christ, we are worthy due to Jesus' victory on the cross.