Experiencing Christ

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Philippians 3:10-11

WHAT DO YOU most want to experience in life? Riding every roller coaster in the world at least once? Becoming president of the United States? Being the best in your career? Finding personal fulfillment?

All of us have dreams—large or small—that drive us. For many of us, these desires are little more than wants and really don’t amount to much. How many times have you heard a Hollywood star or sports great confess that attaining fame, wealth, notoriety, or power isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Some famous people have even ended up committing suicide because they found that the fulfillment of their dreams just wasn’t what they expected or even needed.

Too often, Satan tempts us to give our lives to things that simply don’t matter in the long run. Paul, in these verses, points out what drove him. Did he long for fame as a missionary? Was his goal to hang as many converts’ names on his belt as he could? Was it to preach to crowds of thousands and get a standing ovation each time?

Not at all. His motivating force was that he wanted to “know Christ,” “experience [his] mighty power,” and “suffer with him,” thus sharing in his death. We, too, should die to all those lesser goals in this life, even if we have to make painful choices. Because when we share in Christ’s death, we will also be raised with him!