“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”
Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭27-30‬ ESV

Again,
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”

and earlier in the chapter,
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”

and this,
“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

In Western culture, we have been coddled and encouraged to believe that Joel-Osteen-Word-of-Faith-Benny-Hinn-affluence lie, that this life, when lived in Christ is meant to be a life of comfort, wealth and prosperity. If we are all good little boys and girls, pray hard enough and send in enough ‘seed money’ that this life will be one of health, wealth and opportunity. We can ‘speak things into being’ as if we are God, and we then determine what makes ‘our best life now,’ simply based on what our flesh desires. This is a false gospel and stand contrary to the example Jesus left for us to follow.

When we open the Bible, what we find instead is that the best life we can live is one that identifies with Christ. True privilege in this world comes from suffering as He did or because of His Name. It’s not about things, or shallow fleshly pursuits. This life is all about living for Christ, and living as Christ. Suffering, rejection and scorn mirrors what Christ experienced. We should not shy away from it when God allows us to undergo hardships for His sake.

Does that mean this life should only be made up of suffering? No, of course not, but we must know, understand and believe that this life is not about some degree of personal comfort, a lack of effort on our part, praying blessings on ourself that we don’t need to share or that illness is an indicator of a lack of favor from God.

Our Father is not so petty and childish. He isn’t so shallow or simple minded. The depth of His love goes so far beyond money and health, and proceeds into the things and issues of the heart that really matter. Being rich isn’t a sign of God’s favor or a curse. It simply is. If we have money, then we must be good stewards of that money so that God is glorified and others are blessed in His Name. If we have time or talents and skills that we can use for Him, then our life goal should be to see Him glorified through those gifts, talents and skills in the time He has afforded us to GoLove others in His Name and for the sake of His glory.

Do I need to keep going?

Suffering does not indicate a lack of favor and ease does not serve as an indicator of an abundance of grace. We must seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. We do not concern ourselves with what the world says is important. We instead focus on Christ, on emulating Him and walking as He walked. And as clear as I can see, Jesus wasn’t in pursuit of wealth, prestige, ease and status. He was homeless, didn’t have a big bank account or drive a fancy camel train.

We should go and do likewise and seek to honor God through faithful service out of thanksgiving for what He has done. Let the world keep all of the soon-to-be-dust-and-ash it wants. We have eternal things to be concerned with…