THIS ONE THING or
THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE MINDSET

" . . . Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus . . ." (Philippians 3:7-16)

Devotion 5 of 13

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM AND THE POWER . . .
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection . . . " (KJV).

How is it that Paul continued to abandon every competing influence to "know" Christ? Was this required for the fulfillment of the Apostolic office? Is this a unique attitude--a sort of superior frame of spirit obtained by a select few in the Kingdom? Indeed, if we allowed our vision to rest upon the professed church, we would be inclined to think so. But this is not at all the case. What we are reading is the Kingdom norm--the standard for all believers.

Jesus has come to ensure that we can "know Him." As it is written, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (1 John 5:20). If Jesus came to administer such knowledge, how could anyone failing to pursue it be accepted by Him? What Christ gives must be obtained, received, and earnestly sought. That is why He said, "COME unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest " (Matt 11:28). Jesus came into the world "to save sinners" (1 Tim 1:15). However, only those who "receive Him" receive 'the right to become the sons of God, obtaining what he came to give (John 1:12).

The same procedure applies to all of life. When you came into Christ, you were not placed at the heart of things, with all spiritual understanding and the fulness of Divine fellowship experienced at once. All of that is obtainable, praise the Lord, but the child of God must engage in an earnest effort to take hold of it. Believers are delivered from "the power of darkness" (Col 1:13), yet they remain close enough to those inimical powers to wrestle against them and contend with them (Eph 6:12). This effort is related to endeavoring to "know Him, and the power of His resurrection."

Knowing Him equates to the "fellowship" of God's Son, into which we have been called (1 Cor 1:9). It is involvement with Jesus on a personal basis. This knowledge has glorious results, as described in the 25th Psalm. "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant" 25:14). The effects of this knowledge include insight, wisdom, strength, peace, gladness, and joy to mention a few. Confidence, assurance, and strong hope are also experienced in increasingly large measures. There comes a joyful sufficiency and contentment in all things that no philosopher is capable of imagining. "That I may know Him!"

"The power of HIS resurrection" is recuperative power with which the devil and his dark hosts cannot contend. It is "power" to live unto God in a hostile world (Rom 6:11), and set our affection on things above, and not on things on the earth (Col 3:1-3). When Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended on high, leading captivity captive (Eph 4:8). His foes were impotent to stop His ascent. He passed through hostile forces as though they did not exist.

There is a certain impotency in the nominal church that betrays the absence of this power. Sin enters too easily into the average church, and the world is too closely aligned with it. Professed believers stumble through life, unable to contend with mere footmen, to say nothing of horsemen. Where the "power of HIS resurrection" is not appropriated, people give up too quickly and complain too easily. The commandments become too difficult, and the call of the world drowns out the voice of Him who is speaking from heaven.

When we came into Jesus, we were baptized into His death. It was then that God raised us up by his glory, just as He did Jesus. We were placed in the realm of resurrection life, which is the "newness of life" of Romans 6:4). It will consummate in our resurrection from the dead, but it begins now as we are raised to walk in newness, living unto God, and bringing forth fruit to Him (Rom 6:11; 7:4). Paul desired to "KNOW," or participate in, this power. It is not that He was bereft of this power, but that infinitely more of it was obtainable than he had yet experienced. He had seen something of "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe" (Eph 1:19).

Such marvelous power is not for the lukewarm, indifferent, or casual. Everything that contradicts this power is to be "counted" a loss. Things that jeopardize our appropriation of the knowledge of Christ and the power of His resurrection are "dung," and are to be thrust from us with zeal. What we gain in exchange confirms the worthiness of such an effort.

PRAYER POINT: Father, thank You through Jesus for making such marvelous knowledge and power accessible in Christ through faith.

-- Tomorrow: OMNIPOTENCE HINDERED --