I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10,11
We are a people that wants to be satisfied. We want enough so that we don’t want anymore. And this usually means we want more. And more. And more. Whether it’s the rich and famous, they want more success, money, power, fame. It’s never enough. But what about people like you and me, the not so rich and not so famous. We’re not looking for the next movie deal that will pay us $20 million and a percentage of the box office. No one reading these words is in negotiations for a fully guaranteed, multi-year $300 million dollar contract extension.
And for all our wanting, we want more. And for all our getting, we never seem to get enough. We never get to the point of saying, “That’s enough.” We are people that want to be satisfied but just can’t seem to get there. We reach out with our hands, but it’s just beyond our grasp. We’re grasping at straws. It’s like trying to put smoke in our fist. No matter how fast we move, it slides away. No matter how hard we squeeze our fist, it slips away.
Paul wants to be satisfied, and he knows that only Jesus can do it. But being satisfied with Jesus is a whole lot more than having a picture of Christ in his head or on the wall of his bedroom. He doesn’t want a collectable card or little statue of him. He’s not looking to take a selfie of himself with Jesus that he can upload and plaster all over his social media feeds.
When Paul says that he wants to know Christ, he’s talking about a full and deeply personal knowledge that’s based on living with him. It’s an intimate and deep experience based on an ongoing, living relationship with Jesus.
Living with Jesus is a day-by-day, minute-by-minute connection. We don’t get to pull Jesus out of a hat when life gets tough. We don’t wait to talk with him when we see the sunrise and beautiful birds fly by. But that’s not all. It’s bigger and deeper. With Jesus, nothing’s out of bounds. There’s no part of our life that he’s not interested in. We’re to go to him with all the joys and sorrows. It’s obvious to talk with Jesus about the average things in life.
But the great, big, painful, harry problems of life can be embarrassing, even awkward, to talk with Jesus about. But sometimes we’re just so painfully embarrassed that we try to hide our enormous failures.
That leaves all the little things in life. We think we can handle them. The popular expression, “We got this” says it all. We know enough to figure it out. We’ve got more than enough emotional strength to live through it.
Paul’s not interested in an average kind of life with God. He’s not going to settle for being like everyone else. He wants something more. He wants all that God has for him. All God’s strength. All his power. All his ability. Paul’s not an average kind of person. And neither are you. You are made in the image of God. You were made for a purpose. You were made to show the world and all eternity a unique picture of God’s overwhelming grace and mind-blowing compassion.
How do I know this? How can I say this? Simple, God says it about you and me. He wants us to live with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. God has given us himself and his power to overcome sin in our lives and to do the works that will point people to him while helping others.
God wants us to be absolutely humble and totally confident at the same time. Humble because we can’t do any of this on our own. And completely confident because God is wanting and waiting to move in and through us.
So, what are we waiting for? What’s stopping us from living like this? God’s given himself in Jesus. He’s also sent his Holy Spirit to live within us. He’s created works for us to do throughout our life.
Paul lived out loud, speaking about God’s goodness through his words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. He was following the same kind of life that Jesus lived. And now, God’s waiting for you do follow Paul’s example. To live like Jesus. To live for Jesus. Are you ready to speak about God’s love to a watching and waiting world? Are we ready to testy to our family and friends about this God we say we worship and serve? God wants you and me to testify to his love. To be a witness to him. For him. Are you willing to testify to love[1]?
For as long as I shall live I will testify to love
I'll be a witness in the silences
When the words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live I will testify love[2]
It’s your time. Right now. To start becoming the person that God made you to be. What’s holding you back?
Noodling Questions
List some things that are our biggest weakness to becoming satisfied.
Why are we willing to be satisfied with an average kind of life?
What blocks us from being willing to testify to love?
[2] Testify to love, Songwriters: Hendrik Henk Pool Jr, Paul Field, Ralph Van Manen, Robert T. Riekerk, © Capitol CMG Publishing, Sony, ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group