20 Dec January 3rd Daily Devotion

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON PAUL’S LETTER TO THE  CHURCH AT PHILIPPI

 I WANT TO KNOW CHRIST

Philippians 3:10-11 “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.”

There are forty million words and a half-million topics in the Encyclopedia Britanica.  There are millions of new books published every year.  You can also search Google to find information on virtually any topic.  Of course, there is a lot of information on You Tube.

St. Paul wrote in today’s devotional verse, “I want to know Christ . . .”  That sounds simple enough.  However, there are many teachers in this world who teach about Christ.  Not all of them teach the truth about Him.  In Colossians 2:8 St. Paul warns, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

In Matthew 24:5 there is recorded a warning from Jesus to those of us living now in the end times, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”  This warning is very important as there are many today who claim to be preaching and teaching about the true Christ, when in fact they are not.

To truly know something, according to the New Testament, is to act upon that knowledge. The teacher must not only communicate knowledge, but live out that knowledge as well.  Knowing Christ is more than knowing His name, how to spell it and historical information about Him.  Knowing Him includes, “. . . to know the power of His resurrection and (participate) in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”  To know Christ means to believe that He is the Son of God and Savior of the World.  To know Christ means to trust that in Him is eternal life. (John 1:4)  To know Christ is to know that He alone is the way, the truth and the life and that you cannot come to Your heavenly Father except through Him.  (John 14:6)

This is the knowledge that gives power to the believer—power over sin (Rom. 6) and power to become children of God (John 1:12). All power belongs to Christ (Matt. 28:18), but He has given it to those who follow Him (Luke 10:19), to those who truly “know” Him

Prayer:  O Lord, send Your Holy Spirit into my heart giving me the right knowledge and especially faith to believe and trust in Jesus as my personal Savior.  In His holy name.  Amen.

Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so,

Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.  Refrain:

Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died, Heaven’s gates to open wide.

He has washed away my sin, Lets His little child come in.  Refrain:

(LSB 588)