DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
One of the most remarkable statements in the Bible was made by the apostle Paul when he said, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10 nasb). Paul had already come to know Christ. His conversion was extraordinary. While Paul was on the road to Damascus, Jesus revealed Himself to him. No one could deny that Paul had come to know Jesus. So why did Paul say that he wanted to know Jesus?
Paul’s desire to know Jesus could be compared to my relationship with my wife. When I met her, I fell in love with her, and later we were married. After we were married, I could say in every sense of the word that I “knew” my wife. Yet today, more than four decades later, I can say, “I know her so much more now.” I knew her back in 1968, but I really know her now. And I want to know her more. The more I get to know her, the more I love her. That’s precisely what Paul was saying about his relationship with Jesus. He knew Jesus. He loved Jesus. But he wanted to know Him and love Him more.
There were three ways in which Paul wanted to know Jesus, and we should also desire to know Him in those ways. First, he wanted to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection. The Power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to every believer. No one needs to be defeated. The Bible says we have been raised with Christ and seated in heavenly places. We are victorious because of the resurrection of Christ. He has defeated every enemy known to mankind: sin, death, hell, and the devil. So we can be “more than conquerors.” Paul wanted in practice to know Christ in such power. Our hearts ought also to long to know Him in the power of His resurrection.
But Paul also wanted to know Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings. Many Christians want to know the power of God, but few want to know the sufferings of Christ. Yet I’ve found that the depth of the love of God can be experienced only in the midst of suffering. Often it’s pain that drives us into the arms of the Savior. Knowing Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings isn’t something to be feared; rather it’s a relationship with God that’s to be embraced. As one author put it, “Don’t waste your sorrows.” Don’t just endure suffering, but embrace it and allow God to draw you into a deeper knowledge of Him.
The final way Paul wanted to know Christ was by being conformed to His death. The totality of the Christian life is in “putting off the old life and putting on the new man.” To do that, we must die to self. Paul realized the knowledge of God and a spirit of pride could not dwell in the same heart. As we get to know God better, the more we die to self. That’s why John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). To know Him is to die to our selfish wants, desires, and motivations.
The victorious Christian life is one given to getting to know Christ. To know Him is to love Him!
Hebrews : Chapter 11
1) Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2) This is what the ancients were commended for. 3) By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4) By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5) By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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