Through the Bible - 1 Samuel 3-8, Luke 13:22- 14:6
Good morning,
In yesterday's verse, part of Jesus' prayer to the Father we saw that eternal life is about knowing God.
The thoughts from that verse brought a song to mind "I Want to Know Christ" by Larnell Harris, which brought me to Philippians 3:10 which is today's verse.
Phil 3:10 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! NLT
The verses are powerful and sobering. Paul exemplified the words in these verses as did many of the other apostles who were martyred for their faith in Christ.
The verses are powerful and sobering. Paul exemplified the words in these verses as did many of the other apostles who were martyred for their faith in Christ.
John MacArthur writes, "To know Christ is not simply to have intellectual knowledge about Him; Paul used the Greek verb that means to know experientially or personally. It is equivalent to a shared life with Christ. It also corresponds to a Hebrew word used of God's knowledge of His people (Amos 3;2) and their knowledge o Him in love and obedience."
I'll post the words to "I Want to Know Christ". How do you relate to them personally and experientially? Think about them for a time, sing the song if you know it in preparation for worship this weekend.
I know that I know that my life is redeemed
I know I have found what some only have dreamed
I hold in my heart the pearl of great price
Dear God, hear my cry
I want to know Christ
I want to know Christ
I keep Him before me
I lift up my eyes
I drink in His glory
I press toward the goal
His goodness unfolds
March on , oh my soul
I want to know
I want to know Christ
I know that my path is the way of the cross
So I count what I gain and forget what I've lost
In pain there is joy
In death there is life
Dear God, hear my cry
I want to know Christ
And the things that entangle me
I lay them down
All the treasures and trophies of life
Let them be lost
Only let me be found in Christ
For I want to know
Yes I want to know
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 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!
Pressing toward the Goal
12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. NLT
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