How many of us would on any given day say, “I want to know God better”?
This is indeed a pretty easy thing to say.
But on the other hand, are we willing to do what it takes to back that up and really get to know God better?
Take for example, Philippians 3:10. It says,
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death”
Philippians 3:10
Oh, we all probably like the first part of that verse, knowing Christ and being resurrected. But we’d leave out the rest, thank you very much.
But what if in all the avoiding suffering and dying to self we missed out on knowing Him more deeply?
It’s kinda like we want to skip certain steps that are necessary for knowing Christ.
So I think a good question is are we willing to do all that knowing Christ demands?
It is clear from the context of Philippians 3:7-10 that this section deals with knowing Christ better. It is also clear that knowing Christ is not just a matter of external duties. It is also a matter of inward devotion.
I think one of the main points of Philippians 3:10 is that knowing Christ is the main thing. And if we want to know Christ enough, we will in whatever situations we find ourselves in. I won’t put my comfort or my happiness or anything else ahead of that.
As I type this, I just preached on Job and how God can allow suffering in the lives of His children. The main point of the sermon was God allows trials and suffering to develop us and our faith, not to destroy us or our faith.
And as we conclude, Job 42 might be instructive and helpful for us…
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:5
And so we see when we go through trials or tough times or suffering, we experience God more fully in our lives.
Let’s don’t try to shortcut that. Let’s don’t attempt to skip this.
Because if we do we might just miss out on seeing God and knowing Christ better.
Uncommon Sense 