Joyful Living Devotional - Day 29
Day 29 – Knowing Christ
Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT) 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
It is abundantly clear what Paul considered garbage and what he considered the most valuable thing in his life. Compared to everything else, the knowledge of Christ was Paul’s greatest pursuit, more than anything he had accomplished or dedicated himself to before knowing Christ. Once Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed. The reality of the risen Christ completely altered the trajectory of the man who had been one of the church’s main persecutors. He went from breathing threats and hunting down men and women to being persecuted for the sake of Christ.
Acts 9:1-2 (NIV) 1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus, while he was actively pursuing his murderous agenda, shows the complete transformation of this Pharisee of Pharisees. From murdering Christians to preaching the Good News of the very One he persecuted, he demonstrates the glorious transformation only Jesus can bring. Paul met Jesus, and everything changed! He is unshakable in his declaration and devotion to make knowing Christ Jesus his primary pursuit in life! He states clearly, “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10a NLT). This was not general knowledge of Jesus or mere mental assent to knowing Him, but an intimate, personal knowledge. I love the language Paul uses in verse 8, “…the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NLT). He is clear not only in his love but also in his submission to Jesus.
It is clear from the language Paul uses that he is not merely seeking to grasp knowledge of Christ intellectually but wants to know him in a deep, personal way. He wants to experience Jesus in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His suffering. These two truths seem to stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of a Christ-like life. The power of the resurrection speaks of victory over death! Paul knows that without the resurrection, all preaching is useless. What gives the Good News its power is that Christ has risen from the dead!
1 Corinthians 15:14 (NIV) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
The resurrection power works daily in our lives because the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. The Holy Spirit quickens us in every way to glorify Jesus by breaking patterns in our lives that need to be broken, and it also promises a future resurrection for our mortal bodies. Paul states: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV). Paul recognizes that we all need to experience the power of resurrected living in our daily lives, and he presses into the reality of that truth. He wants to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection, knowing we all will be raised one day just as Jesus was.
1 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
Paul also recognizes that we not only share in Christ’s resurrection but also in the fellowship of His suffering. I know, I know, we love the power of the resurrection, but we cringe at the thought of suffering. Let me remind you that suffering always precedes the resurrection. The suffering Paul refers to is not merely what we face in the world, as he clearly states that he is speaking of Christ’s suffering. He is not talking about what Jesus suffered on the cross for us, because Christ suffered once for our redemption, and we could not pay that price. We receive what Jesus did by faith. There is, however, a fellowship of His suffering. Whatever it takes, we must give up everything that would keep us from doing the perfect will of God! We see a glimpse of that in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (NIV): “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
What does all this mean for us? What or who is your primary pursuit? What have you counted as garbage so you may gain the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus? Our lives can be so crowded with things we deem important that they hinder us from pursuing what truly matters. If a “to-do list” is the first thing that comes to your mind right now, I want you to dig a little deeper. We hear people talk about having your priorities in order: God, family, church, etc., but Paul is not talking about sorting out our priorities; he is talking about knowing Jesus! Knowing Jesus in the power of resurrected life and the power to endure suffering.
When Christ is your devotion, your pursuit, and your passion, and everything else is but garbage, then and only then will you experience the power of resurrected living and the strength to endure suffering. When you know Jesus, you have power; the power to see that His resurrection power always triumphs over pain, fear, death, brokenness, sickness, emotional turmoil, relational conflict, financial strain, and anything and everything that is hurtful!
“Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.”
– Thomas à Kempis
Are you willing to make Jesus your passion, your pursuit, your life? That means coming to the place where Christ alone is enough—where He is everything, even more than life itself. Are you willing to love Him more than all others? It means loving Christ above all others. More than family! More than husband, wife, children, brother, or sister. To love them all, yet inwardly give them up to Him as a sacrifice to your great love for Christ Jesus, your Lord!
Do that, and you will break through to the glory of His resurrection power and conform to His death.
Prayer:
Philippians 3:10-11 (NLT) 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
It is abundantly clear what Paul considered garbage and what he considered the most valuable thing in his life. Compared to everything else, the knowledge of Christ was Paul’s greatest pursuit, more than anything he had accomplished or dedicated himself to before knowing Christ. Once Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed. The reality of the risen Christ completely altered the trajectory of the man who had been one of the church’s main persecutors. He went from breathing threats and hunting down men and women to being persecuted for the sake of Christ.
Acts 9:1-2 (NIV) 1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus, while he was actively pursuing his murderous agenda, shows the complete transformation of this Pharisee of Pharisees. From murdering Christians to preaching the Good News of the very One he persecuted, he demonstrates the glorious transformation only Jesus can bring. Paul met Jesus, and everything changed! He is unshakable in his declaration and devotion to make knowing Christ Jesus his primary pursuit in life! He states clearly, “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10a NLT). This was not general knowledge of Jesus or mere mental assent to knowing Him, but an intimate, personal knowledge. I love the language Paul uses in verse 8, “…the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NLT). He is clear not only in his love but also in his submission to Jesus.
It is clear from the language Paul uses that he is not merely seeking to grasp knowledge of Christ intellectually but wants to know him in a deep, personal way. He wants to experience Jesus in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His suffering. These two truths seem to stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of a Christ-like life. The power of the resurrection speaks of victory over death! Paul knows that without the resurrection, all preaching is useless. What gives the Good News its power is that Christ has risen from the dead!
1 Corinthians 15:14 (NIV) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
The resurrection power works daily in our lives because the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. The Holy Spirit quickens us in every way to glorify Jesus by breaking patterns in our lives that need to be broken, and it also promises a future resurrection for our mortal bodies. Paul states: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11 NIV). Paul recognizes that we all need to experience the power of resurrected living in our daily lives, and he presses into the reality of that truth. He wants to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection, knowing we all will be raised one day just as Jesus was.
1 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV) By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
Paul also recognizes that we not only share in Christ’s resurrection but also in the fellowship of His suffering. I know, I know, we love the power of the resurrection, but we cringe at the thought of suffering. Let me remind you that suffering always precedes the resurrection. The suffering Paul refers to is not merely what we face in the world, as he clearly states that he is speaking of Christ’s suffering. He is not talking about what Jesus suffered on the cross for us, because Christ suffered once for our redemption, and we could not pay that price. We receive what Jesus did by faith. There is, however, a fellowship of His suffering. Whatever it takes, we must give up everything that would keep us from doing the perfect will of God! We see a glimpse of that in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (NIV): “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
What does all this mean for us? What or who is your primary pursuit? What have you counted as garbage so you may gain the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus? Our lives can be so crowded with things we deem important that they hinder us from pursuing what truly matters. If a “to-do list” is the first thing that comes to your mind right now, I want you to dig a little deeper. We hear people talk about having your priorities in order: God, family, church, etc., but Paul is not talking about sorting out our priorities; he is talking about knowing Jesus! Knowing Jesus in the power of resurrected life and the power to endure suffering.
When Christ is your devotion, your pursuit, and your passion, and everything else is but garbage, then and only then will you experience the power of resurrected living and the strength to endure suffering. When you know Jesus, you have power; the power to see that His resurrection power always triumphs over pain, fear, death, brokenness, sickness, emotional turmoil, relational conflict, financial strain, and anything and everything that is hurtful!
“Jesus has many who love the kingdom of God, but few who bear a cross. He has many who desire His comfort, but few who desire His suffering. All want to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for Him. He writes; there are many who admire his miracles, but there are few who follow in the humiliation of the cross.”
– Thomas à Kempis
Are you willing to make Jesus your passion, your pursuit, your life? That means coming to the place where Christ alone is enough—where He is everything, even more than life itself. Are you willing to love Him more than all others? It means loving Christ above all others. More than family! More than husband, wife, children, brother, or sister. To love them all, yet inwardly give them up to Him as a sacrifice to your great love for Christ Jesus, your Lord!
Do that, and you will break through to the glory of His resurrection power and conform to His death.
Prayer:
- Pray that you will be able to see the difference between knowing about Christ and truly knowing Him.
- Ask the Lord to help you establish a consistent daily habit of prayer and of fellowship with Jesus.
- Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to grant you a passionate, vibrant, life-giving love and devotion to God’s will in your life. Pray this: “Lord, I desire your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”
- Pray to walk in the power of His resurrection and to be willing to share in His suffering.
Posted in Joyful Living Devotional