There are some brothers and sisters who endure suffering, but they have no conception of the preciousness of the suffering. They go through it without any sense of gratitude to the Lord. They may even murmur and complain continually, hoping for the day when they will be delivered from their suffering. They pray, but they never praise. They do not heartily accept the discipline of the Spirit which comes upon them. Instead, they pray that these days will go away quickly. Their attitude betrays their lack of a mind to suffer. Brothers and sisters, if we do not have a mind to suffer during peaceful times, we will only be fit to travel on smooth roads. Once the road becomes muddy, we will stop serving the Lord. This will not take us very far. Let me repeat: A mind to suffer is different from suffering itself. If we have a mind to suffer, the Lord may not necessarily give us sufferings, but when we do encounter sufferings, we will be inwardly prepared, and we will not draw back. Those who suffer do not necessarily have a mind to suffer. Many people are suffering, but they do not have a mind to suffer. Among the suffering ones, some may have a mind to suffer, while others may not have a mind to suffer. When many brothers and sisters encounter sufferings and afflictions, they complain and cry for help day after day. They pray for deliverance from their afflictions every day. Such ones do not have a mind to suffer at all. They are suffering, but they do not have a mind to suffer. Brothers and sisters who are undergoing sufferings in physical health, in financial supply, or in other matters should realize that the Lord only counts a mind to suffer as being precious. He does not pay attention to whether we are suffering. We should not think that we are suffering for the Lord simply because we are put in trying situations. It may be true that our situations are unpleasant, but how much of a willing mind to suffer for the Lord do we have? How much of this is by choice? Or are we merely murmuring, begrudging, self-pitying, and self-justifying? It is possible for us to suffer a great deal of heartache and hardship without having the will to suffer. A will to suffer is something deeper than suffering itself. Those who have a heart to suffer may not have any outward suffering at all, and those who are outwardly suffering may not have a mind to suffer. Brothers and sisters, do you see the difference? This is like saying that those who are poor in material things are not necessarily poor in their spirits. Many people are poor materially, but they are not poor spiritually. In the same way, many brothers and sisters are indeed suffering, but they do not have a mind to suffer at all. If the Lord were to offer them the option of choosing, they would most definitely choose not to suffer, not just for a month or for a day, but even if it was just for a minute of their time. They have absolutely no mind to suffer. If a man does not have a mind to suffer, he can not go anywhere with his work. When the outward demands exceed his inward ability, he will shrink back. When a situation requires that he make an additional effort, he will find no strength to meet the need. He cannot relinquish his own treasures and can only carry on an easy work under an easy environment. He needs the Lord to remove all hurdles before he can work in peace. It is surprising that many servants of the Lord would have such a demand.

We must be clear what it means to have a mind to suffer. A brother living in peace may have a greater mind to suffer than a brother living in tribulation. The first one may have a mind to suffer; he is prepared to suffer for the Lord. The second one may be suffering, but he has no heart to suffer for the Lord. There is little sign of hardship in the circumstance of one, while the other may be obviously in great distress. Humanly speaking, the one in great distress is the one who is suffering. But in the eyes of the Lord, He values more the one who, even though he has less hardship, has a mind to suffer. We should not think that suffering alone qualifies us for anything. We must remember that God has demands on us, and in order to meet these demands, there is the need for us to have a mind to suffer. We must arm ourselves with this mind. Without such a mind, there is no possibility for us to fight the spiritual warfare. As soon as we face troubles, we will draw back, and as soon as we are called upon to pay a price, we will give up. When the Lord allows a little affliction to come our way, we withdraw. We are not concerned with how much suffering a person experiences; we are concerned with how much of a mind to suffer one has. According to our natural concept, we would conclude that a brother who suffers much knows God's grace in fuller measure. But many times, we do not receive any help from a suffering brother when we meet him. We may soon discover that he lacks the mind to suffer; he is only suffering reluctantly. If he were given a choice, he would run away from his trials at the first possible moment. He may indeed be suffering, but he has not yielded to the suffering, and he is going through his experience reluctantly. He has not learned any lesson before the Lord, and he is filled with rebellion inwardly. This shows us that a mind to suffer is very different from suffering itself. What the Lord treasures is a mind to suffer—a conscious readiness for suffering, not the experience of suffering itself. We cannot replace a mind to suffer with suffering itself.