The White Elephant

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Philippians 1:29, KJV).

According to this verse we are given two very significant gifts on behalf of our Savior Jesus Christ. Two gifts of equal value; two gifts that will be present in the life of every Christian. The first one all of us accept, but the latter one most of us reject. We should get to the point where we are willing to accept them both, by His grace.
Most of us never think about it, but the verse above tells us that "believing" is a gift of God; it does not come natural for us to believe in someone who we cannot see. If it was up to us we would probably never believe –so thanks be to God for the implantation of faith (belief) into our hearts! For this reason no one should brag about their faith, nor should we accept someone else's praise, "For it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
It is clear then that faith comes from God. But, how does one grow in faith? The Bible has the answer, as it reads, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2a). It is because of Christ that we are given the gift of faith, and it is through Christ that we grow in our faith. Think about it, why is it that only a few people grow up to be faith giants, while the great majority remain dwarfed in their faith? I don't claim to have a definite answer, but perhaps the key is found in what we just read: "Looking unto Jesus..." The NASB renders it as "fixing our eyes on Jesus," which carries the meaning of "narrowing in" or "locking in" on a particular subject. Since Jesus is the "author and finisher of our faith," we should behold Him constantly, and not lose sight of Him.
Yet faith (belief) is not the only gift that we are given; we are granted the opportunity (or honor) to suffer for Christ's sake. In our day and age of comfort, hardly anyone would consider "suffering" an honor –quite the opposite, actually! We want to be served quickly and effectively; we expect our livelihood to improve as time goes by, and we do everything in our power to avoid pain or suffering. I mean, that's why we go to school, put up with mean bosses, and work long hours; we kill ourselves so that we can achieve a piece of the pie in the sky. More comfort and less pain—seems to be on everyone's wish list; less suffering, and more rewards. However, this desire for everything to be peachy cream in our lives, contradicts what's found in the Scriptures. Let us take a look, then, at the least desired gift in Scripture; the "white elephant" gift to Christ's followers.
During His ministry, Jesus made it clear that suffering was part of being His disciple. Early on He said, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27, ESV). You cannot carry a cross–literal or symbolic–without experiencing some type of discomfort. Carrying a cross is not only a humbling experience, but it is also a painful one. To be true disciples of Christ we must be willing to rid ourselves of everything, in order to gain it all. For anyone that "does not renounce all that he has cannot be [His] disciple" (v. 33). We have to be willing to lose before we are ready to win.
Even earlier, Luke recorded Jesus as saying, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (9:24-25). Losing one's life would be the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of Christ. While not all of us (that believe) will have the honor of dying for the sake of Christ, we should all be willing to follow Him all the way to the cross, if required. The apostle Paul understood this when he said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21, KJV). He did not desire death, but accepted that there was more to life than the here and now; he looked beyond this life and unto the eternal (Heb. 11:13-16).
How can we get to the point where our faith is strong enough to endure it all for God? The author of Hebrews admonishes us to "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted" (12:3). The same way that we grow in faith, is the same way in which we can endure through suffering: by beholding Christ. The address continues, saying that "It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons [and daughters]. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?" (12:7). The word "discipline" looks a lot like the word "disciple," and perhaps they have a lot more in common than just a few letters! Only a disciple would be willing to be disciplined by his master; a follower would simply turn away and leave.
There's a very thin line here, that I don't want anyone to cross. Please understand that God doesn't delight in our suffering; He is a God who's very nature is love (1 John 4:8). The Bible also declares that God will one day "wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain..." (Revelation 21:4, ESV). Tears, grief, sorrow, and death were never part of God's plan. Why then do the righteous suffer? Here, too, we are given an aswer: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). It is not God's desire for His children to suffer needlessly, yet all who become His children will suffer to some degree. God's enemy is prowling around seeking to devour us at every turn (1 Peter 5:8), but we can rest assure that God is still in control. May our focus never be on the suffering or the pain, but in the One who suffered and died, and yet rose triumphant –Jesus Christ.
Therefore suffering is part of our growing. The closer we come to Jesus, the more courage we have to follow Him wherever He leads. History is a witness to this fact, for at Jesus' apprehension "all the disciples left him and fled" (Matthew 26:56b). However, after Jesus' resurrection, and the disciples' upper room experience (Acts 2), all were valiant and bold, even unto death. We too, have the capacity of developing a faith that is strong under any circumstance, if we simply make a habit of beholding Him. May we all decide to do just that, today, and joyfully accept the gifts that we've been given.

Your friend,
Abner E. Aguilar