Paul writes: 'That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.' Now, we know about resurrection power. It's the power that raised Jesus from the dead.
Think!!...
-What problem or need do you have that resurrection power can't handle?
-What is dead in your life that needs to be raised, or broken that needs to be fixed?
-When you make intimacy with Christ your top priority, you tap into this power. Why is it that some Christians live as 'more than conquerors,' while others seem to go around defeated all the time?
The answer isn't in their circumstances, because victorious Christians and defeated Christians face basically the same kind of trials. The answer isn't in who goes to church more often, or who reads the Bible and who doesn't.
The answer is, victorious Christians know Christ more intimately, therefore they experience His life-giving power! But a lot of us would like to put a period after the words, 'The power of His resurrection.' No, if we're going to know Christ intimately we must also know Him in 'the fellowship of His sufferings.' This word 'sufferings' means more than just enduring a bad allergy season or having a bump in your car. For Paul it meant being badly beaten and beheaded! But it also meant a special kind of intimacy with the Lord that can't be known any other way.
If you've ever suffered deeply with another person you understand what this means. We'll never truly be intimate with somebody if we say to them, 'I only want to share the good times with you, keep your suffering to yourself.'
Getting the idea?
(I got this from a friend)
