‘That I May Know Him’ By Babatunde Olugboji

Welcome to September! 

Paul’s primary aspiration throughout his life was to attain an experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. Rather than simply acquiring superficial intellectual understanding, Paul sought to engage with Jesus at the most profound relational level: “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10, HCSB).

For Paul, nothing else held significance. He was prepared to relinquish all earthly possessions and ambitions in pursuit of a deeper relationship with Christ (Philippians 3:7). He regarded “everything else as worthless,” referring to it as “garbage” in comparison to “the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” His ultimate aim was to “gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). For Paul, experiencing a relationship with Jesus in this manner entailed participating in the fellowship of His sufferings, even if it led to death.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul reaffirmed his commitment to a profound, all-encompassing union with Jesus: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul instructed believers that “the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5, NLT).

The early apostles held the belief that engaging in the fellowship of Christ’s suffering was essential for preparing to share in His future glory. To his protégé Timothy, Paul conveyed, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, NLT). Peter encouraged believers not to “be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad -for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world” (1 Peter 4:12–13, NLT).

In Philippians 2:5–11, the Apostle Paul instructs believers to adopt the same mindset as that of Christ. Our journey towards heaven necessitates our transformation into the likeness of Christ, as indicated in Romans 8:29 and Philippians 3:21. Jesus exemplified humility and obedience to God, even as He faced the path leading to His death. The fundamental reason for God sending His Son was to endure suffering and death for our salvation.

To emulate Christ, we must engage in the fellowship of His suffering and death, so that “the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10, NLT). Paul conveyed to the Christians in Colossae, “I rejoice in my sufferings for you, as I am sharing in the sufferings of Christ that are ongoing for His body, the church” (Colossians 1:24, NLT).

It is essential to recognize that encountering trials in this life should not come as a surprise, as following Jesus inherently leads to the cross. Jesus instructed His disciples, “If any of you wishes to be my disciple, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24, NLT).

Embracing our cross signifies a readiness to relinquish our lives and even face death in pursuit of following Christ. Jesus did not present an idealized view of discipleship; rather, He stated, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it. But if you surrender your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you gain if you acquire the entire world but lose or forfeit yourself?” (Luke 9:24–25, NLT).

Have a great week.

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