READY AND WILLING

1 Peter 4:1
So then, since Christ suffered
physical pain, you must arm yourselves
with the same attitude he had,
and be ready to suffer, too.
For if you are willing
to suffer for Christ,
you have decided to stop sinning.



The harsh reality of life is that suffering is real and expected. Even God suffered when He took the form of a man in Jesus Christ. There’s a story about a king that was suffering through a painful illness and as a cure for his ailment, the king was advised to find a happy man and to take his shirt, and to wear it day and night. He sent messengers to search and retrieve such a man from the kingdom. Months passed, and after a thorough search the messengers returned without such man or shirt. The king asked, “What did you find?” The messengers responded by saying, “O king, we found one such man, just one in the kingdom.” The king the asked “Then why did you not bring back his shirt?” One messenger replied, “Master, the man had no shirt.” You see, even in the darkest times of suffering one can still be content. As Christians, we need to be prepared for suffering during our walk with Christ and it’s with the attitude of Jesus that we will be able to withstand the pain.