“…that I may KNOW Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Philippians 3:10
Dear Ones:
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, all was perfectly GOOD. There was the free flow of Life from the heart of God to that of the man and woman. There was the unceasing, and full experience of the love and goodness of God, a knowledge that filled and satisfied the soul, and this, beyond measure. When sin came, death came also. The foolish heart of man was darkened, and the Light of the Lord’s presence in the heart departed. The light of the Lord’s countenance would still shine upon man, as he remained the object of His eternal love. But the experience of KNOWING God began to dissipate. Through time, the remembrance of such fellowship and communion would fade, and generations would follow, seeking to find in their own way, this “paradise lost.” Were it not for the goodness and mercy of God, and His intervention, to reveal Himself to the minds and hearts of men, there would be no more experience of the Light of God in the heart, His very Life revealed. This is where the beauty and tragedy of the cross stands out singularly in the history of this world. Jesus would say: “And if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto Me.” (John. 12:32) That cross, and the subsequent resurrection of Christ, would be the pivotal points of history for the whole of mankind. In those two singular events is revealed the wholehearted, and earnest commitment of God in His love, to provide for man the ONLY way to truly KNOW Him. The purpose of the cross is so very clear, not only to bring us to God, but to deal with EVERY enemy of our souls so that it can be realized…today, and every day.
Paul was a man of singular purpose. His understanding of the Gospel, and God’s will and purpose for his life was such, that he was determined to make known to all who would listen, the means by which men can truly know God. Though his writings seem to be at times difficult to understand (Peter thought the same thing…), he puts before us in eloquent simplicity the great truths concerning coming to have this knowledge of God, and ever growing in our possession of it.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle for us in knowing God is what the Bible calls, “…trusting, or having confidence in the flesh.” (Phil. 3:3, 4) Paul came to realize this, seeing that his “religious practices,” his family and genealogy, his zeal, position, reputation, even “righteousness” in the sight of men, did NOTHING to enable him to GAIN Christ. Not only were these things false stones upon which to place his feet, but they were totally rejected by God as a means by which to know Him. Paul goes on to say that he “suffered the loss” of all these “things,” which brought him to the place of exercising faith in Christ ALONE. Paul would come to know Christ, and His power. He would also come to know something of the sufferings of Christ, as he communed with Him in service for Him. So, how can we KNOW God, experience God, today? Three things: 1. Rejoice in the Lord (3:1) To do so means that we set the Lord Jesus before us as the object of our rejoicing. HE is our joy. 2. Live by “…the faith of Christ.” (v.9) Christ IS not only the sole object of faith, but He is the means of faith. As we worship Him in spirit and truth, He gives and increases faith. 3. “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” (v.13) In this “race set before us,” there is no looking back, nor within, but only upward unto Jesus. He is able to reveal to us any need that we may have, “without and within,” and meet that need. Our primary responsibility is to look again, and increasingly, heavenward that we might KNOW Him, believing His life to stream into our own, being poured out for others.
Dear Father, give us grace today, to know Thee…according to Thy word by Thy Spirit, for Thy glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad