Would you know the power of Christ's resurrection???

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Philippians 3:10

Who wouldn’t want to experience this power?
Just think - being able to feel the power of resurrection!
Most of us probably think it must be a fantastic experience, being able to feel a heavenly, divine power fill our being.
To be covered by a new life with all its feeling of triumph and joy. It’s no wonder that Paul time and time again speaks about joy!
Yet in our daily lives, that’s not exactly how it goes, however.
When Paul talks about getting to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, he adds that he wants something else: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).
To overcome death and our fear of death is all a part of becoming one with Christ, uniting with Him and becoming one of His members.
For us on earth this means that we must, In one way or another, be a part of His suffering.
Christ was rejected and killed. Belonging to Him means participating in His disgrace, daring to fail and allowing people to jeer at us or scoff. What we feel is oftentimes just that, a participation in His suffering.
Paul enumerates all the things a pious Jew or anyone else can do to form the basis for a secure feeling of having the correct attitude in life. Paul has learned to regard all of this as rubbish that can be thrown into the garbage can.
Paul knows that he has only one tremendous asset now: Christ, who died for him and has taken him into His service. That entails both suffering and joy.
However, how it may feel has no real significance. The only thing that’s necessary is Christ Himself
Paul wants to share everything with Christ - “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11). Reaching that is nothing we can regard as obvious.
Eternal life with God is nothing we get merely by dying. Neither is it something we’re sure to achieve because we, at some time, converted and came to the faith. It’s something that is a result of Christ. It comes from Christ.
We receive it if we’re united with Christ. Everything is dependent on me belonging to Christ, in life and in death.
Paul understands all this. There’s only one thing that’s really important him: that he becomes incorporated in Christ, that he really is connected to Christ.
And this connection may come to him through victory and success or suffering and death.
Either way, it still is joy, maybe not always emotionally, but still pure joy, what Paul calls joy in the Lord.


Bo Giertz
To Live with Christ - pg. 614-615  CPH
Italicized - my edits.