"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Phil. 3:10,11
When Paul talks about knowing Christ, he is not talking about a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. By this time Paul had that knowledge. Nevertheless, he is talking about knowing Christ as a continuing process that culminates in attaining resurrection from the dead. I am even tempted to think that the expression "to know Christ" is a synonym for Christian life. Christian spirituality is a process of knowing Christ in increasing measure each day until we see Him face to face in eternity.
Knowing Jesus requires rejecting everything that stands in the way of intimacy with Jesus. A Christian theologian once said, "To arrive at God, we should not stop at us." That means if we are on a journey to know Christ, we should explore beyond ourselves. Paul seems to be doing that. He wrote: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my LORD, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, remember Phil. 3:8?. This knowledge of Christ is at a cost. That is to lose everything that stands in the way of that knowledge.
Egoism(preoccupation with oneself) is the greatest enemy of this knowledge. In this thinking, the self become paramount in ones thinking. This is when I am at the center of my thinking, and I strive to become the focus of attention. ( Looking back I remember those times). This hinders knowing Christ.
Christian friends, The knowledge of Christ that strives to make him known as Paul did by his life is possible only when we are willing to move on beyond ourselves.
Life's journey is to know the LORD, To trust Him every day, To read His Word, to learn His will, To love Him, and to pray.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - Life is not to much trouble when we have the new ambition to know Christ.