Philippians
3:10-12 "That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto
his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead. (12) Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."
May I say this morning that it is easy to praise God when everything is going
well in our lives. It is easy to sing "O How I Love Jesus" when the
skies are blue and the sun is shining brightly upon us. But what about when we
are in the valley of discouragement? How is it when life is not going so easy
for us? Are we still as quick to praise Him and share the good news of our
precious Lord when the weight of the world is heavy upon us?
Paul was sharing his heart and mind with us in this book of Philippians.
He knew his purpose in Christ was to share the Gospel of God's amazing grace
through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He knew that was his goal in life even
when he was in a dark and damp prison cell. His purpose was not changed
according to his circumstances. In fact, Paul used those hard times in life to
grow closer to the Lord. We cannot even begin to imagine the things Paul went
through, but during those times, his desire was to know Jesus in a more closer
and intimate manner. He opens up to us in these verses to say, "I want to
know Him. I want to know the power that raised Jesus from the dead." He
had written about it in the book of Romans: "But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in
you." (Romans 8:11) He understood that the very same Spirit was
inside him and that power was what sustained him during the tough times.
But he also admitted that he had not attained (arrived at) that place where full consolation was within him. In other words, Paul tells us in verse 12, "I'm not perfect and I still struggle, but I'm following after that goal and purpose that I may accomplish that for which Jesus Christ called me to do." As I write this, I realize I am far from being at the place where I want to be. I am far from being what God has called me to be as an individual in His glorious kingdom here on earth. I pray I am not what I used to be. I'm not what I hope to be, but I can agree with the Apostle Paul by saying, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." (1 Corinthians 15:10) May each day find us following after the calling which is upon us to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord.