His Example...Our Command

1 Peter 2:21, 24 NIV:
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.... “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Have you ever sat down to consider the full weight, expectation and demand of the call of Christ? Have we ever once asked ourselves if we fully comprehend just why He called us and if we are indeed walking in line with His expectations for our lives? Pertinent questions, and these require honest answers.
First of all, we must strike a balance between those who believe that as Christians, God doesn't want us to suffer and those that preach that the God who calls us is a God of prosperity. Both aren't wrong but both aren't fully correct either, as long as they hold on to one thought without having regard to the flip side. Today's passage supports the position of each side, while highlighting the possibility and the practicability of the other.
Suffering is an integral part of the Christian walk. This is what most of us don't want to hear. What Christ has done is to take away the just punishment for our sins; he's taken our place and bore our punishment. What he now expects is that we live as redeemed and forgiven children, who appreciate a father's sacrifice and can extend that same love to others. When God demands silence when we are abused, when he demands love in the midst of hatred, when he commands that we pray for those who despitefully use us, I wonder how else you can define suffering. When God makes a demand on life itself for the sake of the gospel, what greater suffering for Christ can be more than that? We have closed our ears to these truths and told ourselves that as Christians, suffering is not our portion, but contrast this with the apostles of  Acts 5:41 NIV:
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. These are the people whose inspired words we conveniently quote when they favour us, but we also convenienty forget that it was God's dealings with them that made them the finished product we read about today. Suffering for Christ needs to be separated from the sufferings of a sinful, sin-sick world. The world is in the grip of the devil and he has no good to share, only evil, so for as long as we remain on earth, some experiences are inevitable.
People, God cannot trust an untested vessel. Do you use anything or anybody for a big project without first testing the quality and staying power of that thing or person?  Do you entrust finances into the hands of a man who is yet to be found faithful in daily petty cash responsibilities? Can God entrust eternal, kingdom affairs into the hands of a man he cannot trust, a man he's not sure will stand up to truth when the demands of this world come calling? Those are the questions you should ask when next someone preaches a message of prosperity without responsibity or success without a price.
On the other side also, there is evidence to show that God wants his children to be responsibly successful. What greater message can be preached when the people of God are physically financially and spiritually sound, dictating the pace of the economy and making God's will and purpose prosper in the earth? The question is: why aren't there many of these people? I think this has been answered. Wealth and prosperity do not mix well with an untested, immature Christian. God wants to have eternally-minded children and whatever he gives us that will distract us from that eternal goal will be kept from us for our own good. We keep asking God for prosperity and success, while we run away from the qualifying tests and experiences that will reveal the quality of our convictions and our staying-power.
Can God trust us now with eternal riches or do we still need to go back to his school and learn endurance? Are we ready for the responsibilities and dangers of prosperity? Have we been tested enough to be trusted with true, Godly wealth?
The responses are ours to truthfully consider. As you evaluate your present circumstances, you can honestly know if you are ready for God's next class. He is faithful, ready and willing to bless me, but am I ready, tested and trusted enough for the responsibilty of Godly treasures? There are no blessings without conditions and no wealth without a testing-time and  responsibilities. Can God trust me with all these? His time of favour is here.