The Power of the Resurrection

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“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 (NKJV)

The power of His resurrection.  These are the words that have been flooding my heart lately.

So what can I write about this? Plenty. We all want to experience Resurrection power, right?  Let’s break this verse apart. It first says, That I may know him. Jump to, and the fellowship of his sufferings, made conformable in his death. Death? Yes, death. Jesus paid a high price.

I searched for many key words in my concordance with no luck. So I just began to search the gospels for it. I was searching for the time Jesus asked His disciples if they were willing to pay the price. I searched and searched for this specific verse with no success. I said…“Lord, I know you said it, can you help me find it?”   What He said to my spirit was… “It’s hard to find, just as very few people are willing to leave everything behind them, and pay the price of truly knowing me.” And then, I found it…

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“In your glorious Kingdom, we want to sit in places of honor next to you,” they said, “one at your right and the other at your left.”
But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” Mark 10: 35-38 (NLT)

Wasn’t that awesome? Praise the Lord!! It’s easy for us to say we will endure anything for Christ, and yet most of us complain about the most minor problems. We may say that we’re willing to suffer along with Him, but are we willing to let Him use suffering or adversity as a means of refining our character? THAT is how , “… 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 (NKJV)

I’m thinking of another thing Jesus taught…

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9: 62