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Daily eMail Devotional
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Philippians 3:4-14 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
As I search the Scriptures and pray about how we can truly know Christ and His power in our lives, I find no simple answer. In fact, I confess, I do not know the whole answer. I do find that we are commanded to grow in knowledge of Christ: II Peter 3:18a—“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”. So let us consider God’s Word together and see if we can identify some concepts that may lead to more of the answer for each of us.
I believe two things contribute to knowing Christ and His power: (1) being obedient in little things and (2) communication with focus. First, I believe we need to do the little things right for God. Many things in life, especially spiritually, do not develop in one giant leap. They develop slowly as we do the right things. The Scriptures tell us that God’s way is different than man’s. For instance, as examples: to get, we must give. Or, to God, life is precious—so the mentally challenged or underdeveloped child’s life is precious to God, but man can think of destroying that life because of its imperfections. Given that God’s way is different than man’s, as we follow God in little things, little commands, it is very possible that God can trust us with bigger things. Or, as we demonstrate obedience in little things, and thereby become more Christ like, he can trust us with bigger glimpses of Christ’s character and power. In II Kings 5:9-15, Naaman the Syrian leper needed only to obey Elisha in the little things and wash in the river Jordan seven times to be cured of his leprosy and to know the power of the only true God. In Luke 16:10, we see a hint that being faithful in little things establishes an ability to be faithful in much: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
Secondly, as I seek to know God’s way through an example in nature around me, I ask the question, How do I get to know anyone (and therefore their character) better? I see that I must talk to the one (or Christ, God). And in turn, I must listen to them. So I can talk to God in prayer, and then listen to Him talking to me by reading His word. And when I listen, I must focus on what they are saying. Not listen lightly or casually, but focus my attention, put effort into listening to what they are saying, eliminate distractions—not try to listen to God’s Word while listening to something else at the same time.
Growing in the knowledge of Christ and His power is also a gift from God for which we can pray: Jeremiah 24:7a—“And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD” and James 1:5—“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” In Colossians 1:9-10, Paul prayed, among other things, that the Colossian Christians might increase in the knowledge of God.
Finally, in Philippians 3:4-10, there is an indication that through suffering, the Apostle Paul believes that he became better able to know Christ, as Paul gave up everything to “know him, and the power of his resurrection” . The lesson for us there: on occasions where we are tempted to complain our way through our personal trials, better it is to thank God for the opportunity to know Christ through those same trials!
Bro. Jones
Don't Forget -
