1 Peter 4 (i)

Christ, through His suffering, has not only helped us against the Devil, Death and Sin, but has also set an example which we should follow in our own sufferings. Nobody can calculate their sufferings or the weight of their cross in order to become blessed or to earn even the least amount of merit. Nonetheless, we should still follow Christ in His sufferings, so as to become more like Him. If I want to be a Christian I have to wear the colours of Christ's court and Christ provides only one set of clothes to be worn there: suffering is necessary. So if you do not want to suffer, then you need to know that you will be no follower of Christ! And now you may do what you want: you may suffer or you may deny Christ.

The complete Luther - "A Meditation for Each Day of the Year" is available as a biligual (English and German) BREVIARY published by Wartburg Verlag Weimar. It can be purchased in English, world-wide from most internet book shops.