“I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death. Then I may be raised up from among the dead.”

 – Philippians 3:10-11 

 In Philippians 3:10, Paul writes “….I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death.” Developing a relationship with an individual involves not only communicating with them, but also sharing experiences a with that individual. We share not only positive experiences with them, but also very difficult experiences with them. Here Paul writes about sharing in the suffering of Christ. This is not an isolated case. A number of other scriptures also talk about sharing in the suffering of Christ (1 Peter 4:13, 2 Corinthians 1:5, and Romans 8:17-18). In these verses, suffering with Christ appears to be a requisite for sharing in His glory. It is especially during this time of the year, that we are reminded: our humanly suffering is nothing in comparison to the suffering of Christ (when He paid the price for our sins on the cross). 1 Peter 2:21-22 says “…But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.” Sometimes, we suffer for obeying God or trying to help others. The self-control we must exercise to obey God or follow His will, may feel like suffering. Also, in our efforts to help others by sharing in their hardships, we may feel their pain and share in their suffering. In these ways, we share in His suffering. Yet, all of this is nothing in comparison to the suffering of Christ. Philippians 3:10 also mentions sharing in the death of Christ. What does it mean to share in the death of Christ? Romans 6:6-8 says, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.” It means our sinful human nature must die, so that it no longer has power over us. Living with Christ means having an intimate relationship with Him and ultimately sharing in the power of His resurrection.

Dear Lord Jesus, please help us to experience You on a deeper level. Amen.