Granted

Granted

What thoughts come to your mind when you think of the word granted? For me it conjures up pleasant thoughts. Something good or pleasant will be "given" to me. Part of the definition of grant[ed] is: "to permit as a right, privilege or favor."1 I like that...a privilege or a favor...now that sounds pretty good. It makes me think "wow, I can't wait to see what I have coming!"
I was reading Philippians 1 when I saw something, really saw something for the first time and it stopped me dead in my tracks...

Philippians 1:29, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him." (Emphasis mine) And then later on in Philippians 3:10, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
Paul indicates that it is a "privilege" or a "favor" that we should suffer for Christ. That seems to go against what I would think would be favor. But yet it is. Up until this time, we in America, don't really suffer for Christ. There are countries that suffer greatly because they are Christians - in China, Sudan, Iraq, Iran (just to name a few). It is amazing to me to hear testimonies of believers who have suffered greatly because they bear the name of our Lord and Savior. Yet it is in those persecuted countries that we see more and more coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
The world thinks America is a privileged country. My parents thought so and in 1952 they emigrated here. Yet, what is privilege? Who is truly privileged? According to Paul, to suffer for Christ is the greatest privilege.
There may come a day when Christians in America will be "privileged" like Christians all over the globe are. May we, like Paul, rejoice in all things, even suffering.

MaryAnn