I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:10-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
Many want to know Christ. Many want to experience His power in their lives. Yet, it was God's power that raised Jesus from the dead. It was the suffering and death of God's only Son that set us free from sin and made it possible for us to receive eternal life when we believe He did all this for us. Are we willing to suffer with Christ? Are we determined to pick up our crosses daily and follow Him?
God is performing a great work in those who follow Jesus and this work will continue until the end of our lives in the world as it is. We are being transformed. The goal is perfection and we will not accomplish this until God has finished His work of perfecting us as we submit to His will. In the meantime, we have been blessed to receive the opportunity of reconciliation with our Heavenly Father through the forgiveness of our sin. As we follow Christ, we will come to know who He is and God's Word is available to help us to learn how to achieve this goal. We can leave the past behind and look forward to a future in the perfect Kingdom of God. But we must press on and run this race of life to its end, trusting in our Lord and Savior to lead us to our heavenly prize. This is the goal which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us to attain. Let us follow close enough to hear His call. Let us press on toward that goal.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT
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