What If?

Philippians 3:10-11 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

The Apostle Paul had a heart for Christ. You can read it in his words. Here in Philippians chapter three, he lists four things that he desires. What if we had the same desires?

1. That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection.

That I might know Him. What an overwhelming thought. To know Christ. To know Him better than I know anyone else. Do I seek that? Is that something I desire as Paul did? It should be. I can know Him through His Word, the Bible. So do I study it? Do I seek after Him with all my heart? Can I truly say that I want to know Him above all? It is my prayer that I might know Him. That I will seek Him and be conformed into His image more and more.

2/3. Share His suffering, becoming like Him in His death.

Share in suffering! How crazy is that? Yet that is exactly what God has called us to. To carry the burden of a godly life. To endure ALL things for the sake of Christ. I do not know a lot about physical suffering. I am not even sure I know what it means to suffer. I have endured my share of pain in various forms, but I would not call it suffering- compared to what Christ suffered. Do I long to suffer as Christ did, even unto death? In the culture we live in it would sound crazy for someone to say that they want to suffer. So why does Paul say this? [That he might know Christ and have hope and endurance. (Romans 5:1-5) ] It is easy to say I would suffer for Jesus, but when faced with it, what would I do?  I pray that I would suffer for His sake- even to the point of death. 

4. Attain the resurrection from the dead.

To be raised with Christ when He returns. One day Christ will return and take His people home. We will be reunited with our bodies and made perfect as we were intended to be from the beginning. (1 Corinthians 15) We will be in the new heavens and the new earth living forever with God. What a glorious day that will be- for all eternity. This is something that I anxiously await!