TUESDAY September 24, 2024

Knowing Christ

...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11

Look at Paul’s life. He had a solid faith in Christ––in knowing Him and the power of His Resurrection. He knew Jesus through personal experience. Paul had an incredible depth in his relationship with his Lord. He understood God was using his sufferings to conform him to the image of Christ.

How do we come to know Christ? We come to know Jesus when we are born again of His Spirit and develop our personal relationship with Him. We walk in the newness of life––in the power of His Resurrection. How are we conformed to His death? This is when we reckon the old man to be dead––this speaks of the crucified life. Paul explained this clearly by using the symbolism found in a Christian’s baptism:

Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives (Romans 6:2-4 NLT).

What does death to self mean? It means crucifying your fleshly desires and passion through self-denial––taking up your cross, the instrument of death. Jesus told His disciples: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). This can be painful, but needful, if you are to be conformed to His image.

A Cross-less religion has no power. If you do not know the Cross, you have no power to live the Christian life. No Cross, no eternity; no Cross, no life; no Cross, no Savior. As you submit your life to Christ, He will bring you to a place where you will become more like Him. He will prepare you for heaven.

Taking up my cross means a life voluntarily surrendered to God.
~Arthur W. Pink~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!