Suffering for God is a choice

Numbers 32:25-32 (KJV)
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. [26] Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: [27] But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord saith. [28] So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel: [29] And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle, before the Lord , and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession: [30] But if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan. [31] And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As the Lord hath said unto thy servants, so will we do. [32] We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours.

If the children of Gad will pass with you over Jordan ... Then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession. We must all pass over the Jordan of death in order that our inheritance may be ours. Eternal life is ours now, but it shall not be ours until we pass over the river of death. We can't avoid the death of our body, though our soul may live forever by God's grace. Why can't we avoid this death? you ask. Because our Lord Jesus could not avoid it. He didn't deserve to die, but He went through it, that He may be the Lord over the dead as well as the living. It is therefore appointed unto man once to die, for even God Himself died once as a man for the sins of His people.

Yes, if Christ returns before we die, we shall not die, but we shall be changed, as Paul prophesied. But death is something that a true Christian cannot avoid if he wants to inherit the Kingdom of God. Elijah and Enoch never died, but were taken alive to heaven without tasting death, to be samples for those who will be taken up on the Lord's return. But they still died while they were on this earth. How? They died to their own selves, to sin and to the world. How much did Enoch deny himself and take up the cross all his life after his son was born? He reckoned himself dead so thoroughly that God saw no need for him to taste death. He was already dead to himself, and fully alive to God. How about Elijah, who considered himself dead to the world around him, and walked the path that God told him to walk. He cared not that He would suffer so greatly for the Kingdom of God, but he died to his own will, and lived for the will of God. God also considered him worthy to be taken up, for he was already dead, and his life was hidden in Christ.

We must also partake in suffering as our Lord Jesus did. How much did our Lord Jesus fight the war with sin, death, sorrows and hell, and finally conquered them all with His resurrection? Likewise we must partake with Him sufferings in order that we may be glorified together with Him. Suffering is the Jordan river that we can't avoid. There is no resurrection without the cross. Our Lord Jesus died a suffering death for us, that we may live forever. Shall we not in thanksgiving suffer for His glory? Without suffering and hard battles, we will not inherit with Christ and His brothers. How shall we receive a better resurrection? It is by suffering as Christ suffered, yet not for our sins, but for His name's sake. How shall we reap everlasting spiritual fruits if we do not with hard labour sow to our spirit? For we shall reap what we sow. If we do not suffer with our brethren, and do not go to war with them, our inheritance shall be with the kingdoms of outer darkness. Not that by our labour we go to heaven, but that spiritual labour and willingness to endure suffering is the evidence of a man who is saved.

A man who doesn't want to suffer for the kingdom of God is someone who doesn't want to inherit the kingdom of God. God has given no other way for a man to be saved but through much suffering. Read what Paul says:
Acts 14:22 (ESV)
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
As Israel only entered the promised land through much warfare and tribulations, so must a Christian enter into heaven through much tribulations.

Are therefore to be in despair? Are we to be in sorrow? By no means. God gives us suffering that we may be conformed to the image of His Son in every way. God is not making us to suffer in order to to punish us for our sins. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. But God gives us suffering that we may become like His Son. Notice the language here:
Philippians 1:29 (KJV)
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
God has given us the gift of faith by His grace, and so He has also given us the gift of suffering. Both are for our salvation. Suffering helps us to despise sin and self and the world and guides us to grab hold of Christ as our only joy. Therefore it is of the grace of God. We must weep for those unbelievers who live in pleasure, for we know it is the sign of their destruction, for God has prepared for them horrible suffering in hell.

We know from scripture also that our suffering is a choice. Just as Reuben and Gad chose to suffer and to risk their own lives that they may gain the inheritance, it is a choice for Christians whether we will suffer for Christ, or live in the pleasures of sin for a season. As it is written:
Hebrews 11:24-26 (KJV)
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; [25] Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; [26] Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
How glorious was this choice of Moses to suffer, and that He chose to be conformed to the image of Christ. Just as Christ chose to suffer for us, we ought to choose this tree of life which is suffering. If we Christians will not choose suffering, we know that we will suffer anyway as chastisement for our sins. If we will choose not to suffer for His glory, God in His mercy will make us to suffer with worldly sorrows:
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (KJV)
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. [10] For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
We Christians either suffer godly sorrow or we will suffer worldly sorrow. Which shall we choose? If Moses chose not the cross, what worldly suffering would he have suffered in the courts of the Pharaoh. What shame would he have suffered from God?

Choosing suffering is what Christ meant by 'taking up the cross':
Matthew 16:24 (KJV)
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
There is much suffering in denying one's own self. But Christ is saying if a man is not willing to choose suffering, that man is not worthy of Jesus Christ. We are not worthy of His kingdom. As Reuben and Gad went over Jordan armed, we are to arm ourselves with suffering in self-denial. There is no other way.

As the Lord has said to unto thy servants, so will we do. It was not God who directly commanded them to go over Jordan, but it was Moses. But here they say that they will do as God said. Reuben and Gad took Moses' words as the words of God. They were not rebellious like their parents who proudly said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?" But they took Moses' words to be God's. If these two considered Moses' words to be God's, how much more must we consider Jesus Christ's word to be God's? Jesus Christ Himself is the Word of God Himself made into flesh. Remember what Jesus said:
John 10:34-36 (KJV)
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? [35] If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; [36] Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
And here is also evidence why we can believe in the Holy Bible. God used holy men as His mouthpiece to write the Holy Scriptures. Just as Reuben and Gad considered Moses' words to be God's very words, we are to consider likewise all the prophets and the apostle's words to be the very words of God Himself. God is more than able to use imperfect men to produce perfect things if He wills. And if the Son of God Himself said that the "scriptures cannot be broken" and quoted the Bible, we can be sure that our Bible is without error and is the very word of God. And God did not use sinners to write His books, but He used righteous men who have been justified in His sight by the blood of Jesus. And God sent His own Son to verify that His scriptures were all true, as it is written:
Matthew 26:53-54 (KJV)
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? [54] But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Jesus fulfilled the scriptures concerning Him, proving to the world that the scriptures are true and the very words that God wrote through men. Why must we need any other proof? Jesus Christ died and rose again to put His seal forever on the living word of God, which is the Holy Bible. Let us read the word, and like Reuben and Gad, say, 'as the Lord has said we so shall we do'. Let us honor this very word of God.